China slams US over 'provocative' use of B-52 bombers in the South China Sea

Two US B-52 bombers have flown close to islands in the flashpoint South China Sea this month in a "serious military provocation", Beijing said, as tensions simmer in the disputed waterway.

China insists it has sovereignty over virtually all of the resource-rich sea, conflicting with the various claims of several neighbouring nations, and US activity in the area has provoked Beijing's ire several times in recent months.

"In the morning of 10 December, two US B-52 bombers entered air space over the Chinese Nansha islands [Spratly Islands] and nearby areas without authorisation," Beijing's defence ministry said.

"This behaviour is a serious military provocation which complicates the general situation in the South China Sea, [contributing] to the militarisation of the region."