Beijing, China - Beijing's military on Friday said it had tailed and issued a warning to a US Navy ship in the disputed South China Sea, just days after the same vessel angered the superpower by sailing through the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite international rulings that say it has no legal basis. It deploys hundreds of coast guard, navy and other vessels to patrol the waters.

On Friday, military spokesperson Tian Junli said China had "organized naval and air forces to tail and monitor" the American guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey.

Those forces "issued a warning to drive it away," he added, after the ship "illegally intruded into China's territorial waters near the Xisha Islands without approval from the Chinese government," Tian said, referring to the Paracel Islands by their Chinese name.

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"The actions by the United States seriously violate China's sovereignty and security," he added.

In a statement Friday, the US Navy confirmed its ship had "asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands".

"At the conclusion of the operation, USS Halsey exited the excessive claim and continued operations in the South China Sea," it added.

"Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas."

Maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have raised fears of a wider conflict that could involve the US and other allies.

This week, US and Philippine forces carried out war games around 250 miles south of Taiwan.

China in response warned "any military exercise should not be targeted at or harm the interests of third parties".

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Friday's naval spat between US and Chinese forces came just days after the USS Halsey sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a narrow body of water separating the island from China.

Chinese naval colonel Li Xi called the US warship passage "public hype."

He added in a statement late on Wednesday that the Eastern Theatre Command had also organized naval and air forces "to monitor the passage of the US ship through the entire process."