Navy warned US ships to refrain sailing in South China sea: Beijing

China said on Monday its navy warned U.S. ships sailing near islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea to leave the area and that the U.S. should stop such provocative acts.

Two U.S. guided-missile destroyers travelled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands, a U.S. military spokesman told Reuters, a move that could anger Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world's two biggest economies.