(ETH) – Tensions are flaring again between China and the US as China has now come out demanding the US ‘control and restrict’ its naval operations in the South China Sea after a US guided-missile destroyer reportedly entered waters around the disputed Paracel Islands without permission.
This latest incident comes as a spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army recently accused the US of flexing its military muscle after the USS John McCain was reportedly seen sailing into China’s territorial waters on Friday. ‘It is a naked navigational hegemony and military provocation,’ Colonel Zhang Nandong said in a statement. ‘We demand the US immediately stop such provocative actions, (and) strictly control and restrict military operations in the sea and air to avoid accidents.’
The Chinese military is accusing the US of ‘frequently’ sending warships to the South China Sea to ‘show off its force and severely infringe upon China’s sovereignty and security interests’. The spokesperson warned that it would take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Back in July, China accused the US of ‘sailing through the world like a bully’ after two US aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, were dispatched to the South China Sea in a show of Military force. According to the report, China claims most of the South China Sea based on the ‘nine-dash line’, a vague delineation which dates back to the 1940s.
China has spent many years building military bases on artificial islands in the area, which is reportedly home to oil and gas deposits and is a vital commercial waterway. China also accused Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of maliciously creating political confrontation and smearing Beijing and called on the US to ‘stop its unprovoked attacks.’
‘We once again urge the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, stop unprovoked accusations and attacks against China and treat relations with China in a constructive manner,’ the Chinese embassy in Japan said in a statement.
