China on Saturday accused the U.S. of indulging in “serious military provocation” by flying two B-52 bombers in the airspace over islands in the South China Sea claimed by it as tensions between the two countries over the disputed territory came to the fore.
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China claims sovereignty over nearly the whole of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
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The statement said the Chinese military on the island went on high alert during the December 10 overflight and warned the aircraft to leave the island’s airspace.
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“This behaviour is a serious military provocation which complicates the general situation in the South China Sea, (contributing) to the militarisation of the region”, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The United States did not intend to get within 12 nautical miles of the land, the official said, and the flight was not part of a “freedom of navigation” mission like the one that occurred in late October.
Washington has said China’s transformation of the geographical features in the Spratly Islands poses a threat to freedom of navigation in the critical body of water.
“The way China has propelled the global economy in this century, it should also propel peace in the region”, he said.
On Saturday, Chinese officials linked the B-52s with past USA attempts to “make a show of force”. “But certain powers have begun questioning China’s territorial and maritime rights in the region after the discovery of energy fields in the South China Sea”.
“In the face of provocative acts from the U.S. side, the Chinese military will take all necessary means and measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and resolutely safeguard regional peace and stability”.
The Chinese government has issued a stern warning to the U.S., suggesting its most recent actions in the South China Sea are turning the area into a militarized zone. Bill Urban as saying that the B-52 was not on a so-called freedom of navigation operation, meant to assert the plane’s right to transit the area.
Freedom of navigation operations are missions conducted to challenge what the USA believes are excessive territorial claims made by other countries.
In a telephone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the world is becoming a more challenging place, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement released on Monday.
The U.S. routinely conducts B-52 training missions throughout the region, including over the South China Sea from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam.
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The main contractor behind the weaponry is Raytheon. China says a US bomber got too close to one of the islands.
