China says it expelled a Dutch warship "intruding" its disputed waters

In a statement, the Netherlands said that HNLMS De Ruyter was sailing through the South China Sea for diplomatic, security and economic reasons. It declined to comment on operational details.

The Chinese claim marks a relatively unusual public confrontation with the Netherlands in the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China's claims were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.

(Reporting by Yukun Zhang, Shi Bu and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Kirsten Donovan)