Photo taken on May 20, 2013 shows the scenery of Pattle Island which is part of the Xisha Island, in Sansha city, South China's Hainan province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Chinese military on Friday denounced the trespassing of a US missile destroyer into Chinese territorial waters.

PLA Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli said the US move is its old trick to claim navigational hegemony and mislead public opinion, which has seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and security

People's Liberation Army Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the PLA Southern Theater Command, said in a statement the US guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain trespassed into the waters of China's Xisha Islands on Friday without the permission of the Chinese government.

The Southern Theater Command organized its naval and air forces to track and monitor the warship and warned if off, Tian said.

READ MORE: Navy warns off US warship near Xisha Islands in South China Sea

Tian pointed out the US move is its old trick to claim navigational hegemony and mislead public opinion, which has seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and security, gravely undermined regional peace and stability and deliberately disrupted the good atmosphere of peace, friendship and cooperation in the South China Sea.

Tian stressed China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. The troops of the PLA Southern Theater Command will always stay on high alert to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region.

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