China warned the United States navy against any violation of its territorial waters, saying it will take “necessary measures” in reaction to US incursions off the disputed islands in the South China Sea.

China warned the United States navy against any violation of its territorial waters, saying it will take “necessary measures” in reaction to US incursions off the disputed islands in the South China Sea.

“We would urge the US not to continue down the wrong path. But if the US side does continue, we will take all necessary measures according to the need,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Yang Yujun said in a statement released on Thursday.

Yang further described as “rock-solid” Beijing’s resolve to protect its national sovereignty and security interests.

The statement was published one day after the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of one of the artificial islands in the South China Sea.

In response, China summoned Max Baucus, the US ambassador to Beijing, to protest against the US ship patrol in the vicinity of the Chinese artificial islands and urge Washington to refrain from such actions.

Elsewhere in his comments, the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman reiterated Beijing’s claim that the US vessel had violated Chinese sovereignty and international law.

Yang also noted that a pair of Chinese ships had monitored the actions of the US ship and issued warnings.

He further accused Washington of abusing the right to freedom of navigation and over-flight for its own interests.

“We are strongly against any kind of effort in the name of freedom of navigation that might damage the interests and security of the littoral states,” Yang added.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Washington has sided with China’s rivals in the territorial dispute, with Beijing accusing the US of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the contested waters, which are believed to be rich in oil and gas.

The US, however, has accused Beijing of undergoing what it calls a land reclamation program in the South China Sea by building artificial islands in the disputed areas.