BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday urged the United States to stop provocative actions following the flight of two B-52 bombers over the area near China' s Nansha islands.

"China takes the incident seriously, and has lodged solemn representation with the United States," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a press release.

"China once again urges the United States to seriously reflect upon and correct its mistakes, take effective measures to prevent similar dangerous and provocative actions, and stop any move that may undermine China's sovereignty and security interests and affect the peace and stability of South China Sea, " Hong said.

The two U.S. bombers flew into the airspace near China's Nansha Islands early on Dec. 10. Pentagon said the flight may have strayed off course due to weather and an investigation had been launched.