China claims the majority of the South China Sea but is locked in territorial disputes with a host of neighbors in the region.
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China has accused the US of a serious military provocation following the flight of an American B-52 strategic bomber over a Beijing-controlled man-made island in the South China Sea.
The incident is reported to have happened last week when the Pentagon said two B-2 bombers were on a routine mission in the region.
“The Chinese have raised concerns with us about the flight path of a recent training mission”, Urban said.
However, Urban said the flight was not a “freedom of navigation” operation, indicating that the plane may have strayed off course. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also overlapping claims.
The Chinese military kept strict surveillance and remained on high alert for USA bombers’ flight on Dec.10, and warned and expelled the bombers, he said.
Earlier this week, an Australian aircraft flew over another part of the disputed area claimed by the Chinese and said it was exercising “freedom of airspace” navigation.
Beijing claims the island chain is within China’s territorial borders.
The Pentagon said on Friday it was looking into the complaint and added that the U.S. regularly conducts training missions with B-52 bomber planes throughout the region.
Calling the situation in the waters that stretch from China’s south coast “in general relatively stable”, Wang said negotiations among regional powers would resolve the tensions. “The Chinese army will take all necessary measures to defend the sovereignty and the security of the country”, the defence ministry said.
The US has not taken sides on sovereignty issues in the area but has a “freedom of navigation” policy asserting right of passage for its military. The ministry demanded that the USA immediately adopt measures to avoid such unsafe actions in order to prevent damaging relations between the two militaries and countries.
However, the UN does not recognise such artificial islands as being part of the 12-nautical mile sea limit nation’s can claim for sovereign territory.
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The new islands created friction with the United States, which sails and flies its assets in the vicinity of the reclaimed islands, citing global law and freedom of movement.
