China's defence ministry said on Friday that it yet again had to monitor and drive away the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Milius that entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.

"We sternly demand the U.S. to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of the unforeseen incidents," a spokesperon said in a statement from the Ministry of National Defence. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)