Earlier in the day, US Navy's Pacific Command Chief Adm. Harry B. Harris said at Peking University in Beijing that Washington would continue its military patrols in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
"[The United States] insists on its ships crossing waters close to the islands belonging to China to demonstrate its power under the pretext of freedom of navigation. It is a blatant provocation," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
China is determined to defend its sovereignty, security and interests, she added.
According to the spokeswoman, the United States is trying to deprive China of its right to defend itself as a sovereign state by insisting that Beijing should not deploy defense infrastructure on Chinese territory.
She said that increasing US military presence in the South China Sea was an "excuse for someone's strategy to change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region."
Last week, Beijing strongly criticized Washington after the naval destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Spratly archipelago in waters claimed by several regional powers. The United States said the maneuver did not violate international law.
Over the past few months, China has been building artificial islands, some with defense facilities, on the coral reefs of the Spratly Islands. Beijing claims sovereignty over the land and the 12 nautical mile zone surrounding the islands.
Washington does not recognize Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the man-made islands.
(Sputnik)
3/11/15
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Related:
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Washington Plans to Send More Warships to South China Sea
China warns US of 'eventualities' in South China Sea
China says Arbitral Tribunal's ruling 'null and void' -- (Hague court to hear South China Sea dispute)
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U.S., Japan push for inclusion of South China Sea in defense forum statement...
ReplyDeleteThe United States and Japan are pushing to get concerns about the South China Sea included in a statement to be issued after regional defense talks in Malaysia despite Chinese objections to any mention of the disputed waterway, officials said.
A senior U.S. defense official said Beijing had made clear as early as February that it didn't want the South China Sea discussed at the meeting between Southeast Asian defense ministers and their counterparts from across the Asia-Pacific in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
"We've been very clear along with many other like minded countries that South China Sea language should be included but there are members who feel differently," said the U.S. defense official, adding China was the main obstacle.
A draft of the concluding statement being prepared by host Malaysia makes no mention of the South China Sea, said a separate source familiar with the discussions, focusing instead on terrorism and regional security cooperation.
Wednesday's gathering brings together the 10 defense ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with ministers from countries such as the United States, Japan, China, India and Australia...........reuters.com
3/11/15
China's foreign ministry on Tuesday called recent US moves in the South China Sea a self-orchestrated, self-directed and self-performed show, after a top US admiral said in Beijing that the US military will continue to operate wherever international law allows...
ReplyDelete"The so-called issue of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is a pseudo-proposition … The international waterway is wide enough for the US vessel. Why did it choose to take a detour to show its strength in waters off the relevant islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands and try to justify it in the name of safeguarding navigation freedom? It is blatant provocation," Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.
The US is actually depriving China of its right to self-defense as a sovereign state, she noted.
The US destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Zhubi Reef, and a defense official said the mission, which lasted a few hours, passed by Meiji Reef, Reuters reported. China claims both reefs as part of its Nansha Islands...............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/950679.shtml
4/11/15
Defense Secretary Carter to cruise on U.S. warship near disputed sea...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and his Malaysian counterpart will cruise on the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday, a U.S. defense official said, for a voyage likely to highlight tension over rival claims in the South China Sea.
There was no information about where the U.S. warship would sail but it has been on patrol in the South China Sea where territorial disputes between China and several of its neighbors have raised fears of conflict.....REUTERS....todayonline.com
4/11/15
Chinese Attack Sub Allegedly Tails US Aircraft Carrier...
ReplyDeleteA Chinese submarine is said to have "sailed very close" to USS Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, just days before Washington caused uproar by sending USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of man-made islands which Beijing claims as its own, the Washington Free Beacon reported, citing unnamed US defense officials.
"Disclosure of the Chinese submarine encounter comes as Adm. Harry Harris is visiting China for the first time as the commander of US forces in the Pacific. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Command spokesmen declined to comment on the submarine encounter but did not deny that the incident occurred," the media outlet noted.
The encounter is alleged to have happened on or around October 24 in the Sea of Japan after USS Reagan left its homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. No additional details of the incident are available, including the type of the Chinese submarine or the distance between the two warships..............http://sptnkne.ws/aavD
4/11/15