Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have rival claims to islands in the disputed waters.
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China rejected Hanoi’s protest and will likely dismiss Manila’s concerns too.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs is considering lodging a protest in due course”, Jose told reporters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on January 2 that China deployed a “civil aircraft” on the island, which it calls Yongshu Jiao, to determine whether the new airfield in what she said was Chinese territory conformed to civil aviation standards.
“We are concerned that these test flights have exacerbated tensions and are inconsistent with the region’s commitments to exercise restraint from actions that could complicate or escalate disputes”, the Pentagon said.
The chairman of the influential U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday criticized the Obama administration for delaying further “freedom of navigation” patrols within 12 nautical miles of islands built by China in the South China Sea.
Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on May 21, 2015.
The runway at the Fiery Cross Reef is 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) long and is one of three China was constructing on artificial islands built up from seven reefs and atolls in the Spratlys archipelago.
Hanoi had protested at the flight, labelling it a “a serious infringement of the sovereignty of Vietnam”.
“The Chinese side will not accept the unfounded accusation from the Vietnamese side”, Hua said.
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China will continue promoting the building of emergency response and rescue facilities in an effort to shoulder the worldwide obligations of search and rescue operations, marine environmental protection, disaster prevention and reduction, and navigation safety in the South China Sea, the official said. These steps have included patroling the disputed islands with guided-missile destroyers, stationing the USS Ronald Reagan in Japan, and flying bombers near reefs. “Meanwhile, we hope the relevant countries will not flex their military muscles by using fighter jets, instead (they) should take more practical actions to protect peace and stability in the South China Sea area with China”.
