China warns US against provocations following B-52 flyby

  In this Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016 file photo, a US Air Force B-52 bomber flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. AP

BEIJING — China is accusing the United States of militarizing the South China Sea after two American B-52 bombers flew close to a disputed Chinese-held shoal in a show of force.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned the US on Wednesday against “hyping up militarization and stirring up trouble,” while promising that China would take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty. She says the US action could be risky.

The bomber flyby this week over Scarborough Shoal, which China took from the Philippines in 2012, came after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Beijing of “intimidation and coercion” and declaring the Indo-Pacific a “priority theater” for US forces.

China has steadily built up its military presence on disputed islands in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely.