The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius has illegally entered China's territorial waters, the South China Sea. Tian Junli, the spokesman of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, announced this on Monday.

"On April 10, the Milius missile squadron minelayer illegally invaded the waters adjacent to the Meiji Reef near the Chinese Nansha [(Spratly )] Islands without receiving the approval of the PRC [(People's Republic of China)] government," Tian said, China Central Television reported.

Tian added that the Chinese Navy and Air Force were monitoring the US Navy vessel.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and the adjacent waters, and the troops of the southern zone of the combat command are always in a state of high combat readiness," the Chinese army official added.