China slammed a Pentagon report on Tuesday that said the United States military conducted freedom of navigation operations against 13 countries last year including China.

"We regard the so-called 'freedom of navigation' operations as the violent means by which the US promotes its unilateral claims," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

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Beijing also termed the operations as an attempt by the US to dominate maritime order and reflect its logic of hegemony.

"We hope the US can respect the sovereignty and security of the other countries and contribute more to safeguard international maritime order and regional peace and stability," the spokeswoman said.

The annual report, titled Department of Defense (DoD) Freedom of Navigation Report for the Fiscal Year 2015, revealed that the U.S. military had conducted 'freedom of navigation' operations against China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Maldives, Oman, Iran, Libya, Nicaragua, Argentina between October 2014 to September 2015.

"Excessive straight baselines; jurisdiction over airspace above the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); restriction on foreign aircraft flying through an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) without the intent to enter national airspace; domestic law criminalizing survey activity by foreign entities in the EEZ; prior permission required for innocent passage of foreign military ships through the TTS," the report said, pertaining to China.

"The United States carries out militarization in the South China Sea in the name of freedom of navigation and over flight, threatens coastal nations' sovereignty and security and destroys regional peace and stability," China's defense ministry said in a statement.

Tagschina, US, South China Sea, Pentagon, Freedom of Navigation