The report, which traditionally draws a strong reaction from the Chinese government, comes ahead of a visit to Vietnam and Japan this month by President Barack Obama and amid increasing tensions between the U.S., China and Southeast Asian nations over sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
Advertisement
The findings came out Tuesday, the same day the U.S. Navy sent a guided missile destroyer within 12 miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea where China has built an airstrip.
Meanwhile, China said yesterday it was happy to see Vietnam normalising relations with the USA and hopes it benefits regional peace, following reports that Washington may lift a three-decade-old arms embargo on Hanoi.
“China’s military modernization is producing capabilities that have the potential to reduce core USA military technological advantages”, the report said.
China called the United States. warship’s maneuvers “a naked challenge”, while the USA said it was a “freedom of navigation” operation in worldwide waters, one of many it has taken near contested reefs and outcrops. Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea while Beijing, in turn, has criticized increased US naval patrols and exercises in Asia.
Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun says the US Defence Department’s annual report on China’s military activities had “wilfully distorted China’s national defense policy” and says the US is too suspicious.
Last year’s report to Congress included just two brief paragraphs on the effort; it said China had reclaimed only 500 acres as of December 2014.
The report was the U.S. Defense Department’s most detailed and extensive assessment of China’s island-building program, and revealed the startling pace of Beijing’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea.
The discussion comes at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington, which have traded accusations of militarising the South China Sea as China carries out large-scale land reclamation and construction on disputed features while the U.S. has increased its patrols and exercises.
Shanghai-based military expert Ni Lexiong endorsed the report, saying it was “quite accurate” in reflecting China’s maritime strategy in the region.
Ma also invited the five arbitrators from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, who are dealing with a case brought by the Philippines against China, which has triggered interest in how the land formations in the South China Sea should be defined.
An oil rig (R) which China calls Haiyang Shiyou 981, and Vietnam refers to as Hai Duong 981, is seen in the South China Sea, off the shore of Vietnam in this May 14, 2014 file photo. This is the first case in which China’s use of military aircraft on the island has been made public.
China’s island building, the report concludes, is created to walk right up to – but not cross – “the threshold of provoking the United States, its allies and partners, or others in the Asia-Pacific region into open conflict”.
Advertisement
The panel’s report points out that China showed off only 16 DF-26 launchers at last September’s parade.
