BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s military said on Sunday it had conducted "routine" patrols in the South China Sea and warned the Philippines against any provocations, according to a spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command.

The spokesperson said the Philippines must immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

Chinese troops will continue to defend the country’s sovereignty in the region, the spokesperson added.

China claims almost all the South China Sea - a waterway carrying more than $3 trillion of annual commerce - despite overlapping claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.