Ren Guoqiang (Photo/Ministry of Defense)
U.S. moves will militarize region: official
China on Thursday expressed strong opposition to recent U.S. military maneuvers near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea and urged the country to desist from taking actions that undermine China's sovereignty and security interests.
Defense ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said at a press conference on Thursday that the USS Dewey guided missile destroyer entered waters near reefs that form part of China's Nansha Islands, and the People's Liberation Army navy's Luzhou and Liuzhou missile frigates identified the U.S. vessel, sent a warning to the destroyer and drove it from the area.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the neighboring sea area, and the Chinese military firmly opposes the U.S. military's move which will militarize the region and increase the possibility of accidents in both sea and air. China has made solemn representations to the U.S.," Ren said.
"Due to the joint efforts made by China and ASEAN member states, the situation in the South China Sea is stabilizing, but the U.S.' mistaken behavior will worsen the situation. We demand the U.S. correct its mistakes," Ren stressed, adding that the U.S.' behavior will make the Chinese military further strengthen its ability to guard China's national sovereignty and security.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press conference on Thursday that China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the U.S.' latest move, which has seriously undermined dialogue and consultation processes and harmed both the U.S. and other countries' interests.
The U.S. Navy vessel sailed within 12 nautical miles of Meiji Reef in the South China Sea in a "freedom of navigation operation (FONOP)," the Financial Times reported Thursday.
"We operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea," Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, was quoted by the FT as saying.
"Freedom of navigation is not about any one country, or any one body of water," he said.
Such an act carried out in the name of a routine patrol or FONOP is a huge strategic mistake by the U.S. military, Peng Guangqian, a military strategist at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times.
The U.S. Navy obviously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, Peng said, adding that China will not tolerate any such provocations.
First provocation
This latest move is the first provocation by the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office, coming after Sino-U.S. ties showed signs of stabilizing following the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump in early April.
The U.S. military had earlier this year requested permission to perform a FONOP, but it was turned down by the Pentagon, as part of an effort to ease U.S.-China relations, CNN reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed U.S. defense official.
"Washington may not want to give an impression to the outside world that the U.S. is deeply divided over its foreign policy, given the reports that the Pentagon has repeatedly rejected U.S. military requests to perform a FONOP in the South China Sea," Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times.
Tensions over the South China Sea have eased recently, especially after China and ASEAN countries approved the sea framework. Military actions of any kind that would overturn the balance in the South China Sea align with U.S. interests, Xu said.
China and ASEAN member states last week approved the framework of the South China Sea Code of Conduct, a key step toward peacefully resolving territorial disputes in the area.
There is also a possibility that the latest U.S. military move was initiated by the far right in the U.S. military, deliberately acting contrary to Trump's will to embarrass him, Peng said.
Strong, modern force
Xi on Wednesday called for efforts to build the People's Liberation Army navy into a strong and modern force to lend support to the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and the dream of a strong army, Xinhua reported.
"The latest provocation by the U.S. military will surely affect Sino-U.S. relations. There are conflicts of national interests between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea as China seeks to protect its security and sovereignty and the U.S. seeks hegemony," Zhao Xiaozhuo, a research fellow from the Center on China-U.S. Defense Relations at the PLA Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times.
"China and the U.S. remain highly vigilant and prepared for any possible crisis. But the key issue is that they should enhance strategic trust and avoid escalating tensions," Zhao said.
