China ‘not scared’ by military moves after US sends bombers on run over South China Sea
Beijing’s foreign ministry says the United States should stop hyping up the issue of militarisation and provoking trouble in the region
No military ship or aircraft can scare China away from its resolve to protect its territory, China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday after two US Air Force B-52 bombers were reported to have flown near disputed islands in the South China Sea.
CNN reported that the two aircraft flew within the vicinity of the Spratly Islands, where China has reclaimed land and built runways and other facilities on disputed reefs and small islands.
The United States was willing to work with China on a “results-oriented” relationship, but its actions in the South China Sea were coercive and the Pentagon would “compete vigorously” if needed, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday.
The United States and China have frequently sparred about who is really militarising the South China Sea, where China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she hoped the United States could clarify whether it thought sending “this type of offensive weapon” to the South China Sea counted as militarisation.