China firmly upholds her sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The U.S., which has sent military vessels and planes to areas in the South China Sea to conduct close-in reconnaissance, is the source of tension and militarization of the South China Sea, a China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a press conference Monday.

The U.S. last week accused China of raising tensions in the South China Sea by its deployment of surface-to-air missiles on Yongxing Dao which raised tensions there especially at the current time and stage.

However, at the same time, U.S. media questioned U.S. navy's so-called freedom of navigation operation because a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Zhongjian Island in the Xisha Islands chain in the South China Sea on Jan. 30, 2016.

In response to this issue, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson Hua Chunying said that there is no difference between China's deployment of necessary national defense facilities on its own territory and the defense installation by the U.S. in Hawaii.

Hua said that the frequency of the U.S. sending vessels and planes to the South China Sea increases year by year. It has intensified tensions in the region, and is most likely to cause regional militarization.

China hopes that the U.S. would not confuse right and wrong on this issue, still less play up and create tensions in the region, said Hua. China urges the U.S. to play a constructive role for regional peace and stability.