Update | China ‘should fire shots at US warships near disputed islands, or even ram them to teach them a lesson’
Getting tough with trespassers in the South China Sea would be good for peace in the disputed region, says Communist Party mouthpiece
Chinese forces should fire warning shots or even deliberately collide with American warships that sail close to the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea, according to a commentary published online by state media.
Beijing must take tough action to “teach the US a lesson” if the latter continues in its bold acts, said the article posted on the social media account of People’s Daily’s overseas edition.
READ MORE: Beijing calls reaction to missile deployment ‘hype’ in defending use of armaments in South China Sea disputed islands
Tensions over the oil-rich region reached a new high after USS Curtis Wilbur entered waters within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels last month. Pentagon said it was exercising the right to freedom of navigation in open seas.
News reports this week said Beijing had installed an advanced air defence missile system on Woody Island in the Paracels. US and its allies expressed concern over the region’s militarisation.
Last October, the USS Lassen sailed past China’s man-made islands in the disputed Spratlys archipelago.
The commentary said the Paracels, which have been under Chinese control for over 40 years, was Beijing’s bottom line in defending the South China Sea.
China must make its stance clear in the Paracels by taking firmer action against incursions, it said. This included escorting out vessels and – in worst-case scenarios – deliberately colliding with ships to teach them a lesson.