The USS Barry (far right) on patrol with US and Australian vessels in the South China Sea earlier this month

China claims to have expelled an American warship from an area of the disputed South China Sea, accusing the US for the first time of “illegal trespass” into its territorial waters.

The Chinese navy said that it had scrambled sea and air patrols to force the missile destroyer USS Barry to leave after it had “intruded without permission” near the Paracel Islands, which China has claimed as its own.

The US denied any confrontation, saying that the ship did not encounter “any unsafe or unprofessional behaviour” from Chinese vessels. However, the action by China comes as the two countries jostle for influence in the South China Sea and as Beijing builds up military assets in the area to strengthen its claims.

Senior Colonel Li Huamin,