China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday denounced what it called provocations by the United States in the South China Sea, following the suspected deployment of submarine detection devices by a US military aircraft.

According to a China Media Group report on Wednesday, the China Coast Guard recently detected a US warplane hovering over the South China Sea and repeatedly dropping unidentified electronic devices in the waters near the Ren'ai Reef.

The China Coast Guard promptly dispatched personnel to the area to retrieve and inspect the items in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The devices were labeled with "Ultra Electronics," a company specializing in submarine detection services and providing systematic support to the US Navy, the report cited an expert as saying.

At a regular news conference on Thursday, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian stated, "China firmly opposes the provocative actions of US military aircraft and vessels in the South China Sea." He emphasized that it is "completely legitimate and lawful for the Chinese side to carry out operations, including rights protection law enforcement, identification, and verification activities, in waters adjacent to the Ren'ai Reef."