China Warns US Following B-52 Flyby

Beijing on Wednesday lashed out at the U.S. after a pair of B-52 bombers flew past a Chinese-held shoal in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned the U.S. against "hyping up militarisation and stirring up trouble," while promising that China would take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty.

The U.S. "doing whatever they want is risky and China will not be threatened by any military warships," Hua told reporters at a daily briefing in Beijing.

This week's flyby near Scarborough Shoal, which China took from the Philippines in 2012, came after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Beijing of "intimidation and coercion" in the South China Sea.

Speaking at a summit of top security officials in Singapore last weekend, Mattis said China has deployed anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles and landed nuclear capable bombers on the disputed islands. He vowed that the Indo-Pacific would remain a "priority theatre" for U.S. forces.

China claims almost the entirety of the sea — resource-rich waters that include some of the world's busiest shipping lanes — despite overlapping claims from neighbours including the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. (AP)