“It is unclear why the Chinese used a military aircraft, as opposed to a civilian one, ” he pointed out.
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Mainland analysts said the mission also underscored China’s increased maritime strength in the region.
After picking up the injured workers, the plane then flew to Hainan Island where it was met by an ambulance.
China has urged New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to exercise “discretion” during his visit to China that started Sunday – an apparent attempt by Beijing to wield its considerable economic leverage in its dispute over the contested South China Sea.
“Key should be reminded that New Zealand is an absolute outsider in the dispute and not a concerned party”, Xinhua said in the editorial addressing the South China Sea.
Mr Key has been warned by China’s state media not to talk about tensions over disputed islands in the sea.
China will also expand cooperation overall with New Zealand, in areas such as agriculture and food safety, Li added.
A Chinese air force plane landed on Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef, 永暑島) in the Spratly archipelago (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) on Sunday to evacuate sick workers, a news report posted online by the Chinese Ministry of Defense said. Part of the sea is claimed by Southeast Asian neighbors that include Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.
China claims the reclamation project is permitted by global law, but the United States and nearby countries like the Philippines and Vietnam fear China will use the islands to project their military might and upset the balance of power further from their shores.
In response, the United States, after years of ignoring the Chinese hegemony in the region, began pushing back under the new US Pacific Command leader, Adm. Harry Harris, who has publicly denounced what he called China’s “Great Wall of Sand” – the buildup up of military bases on disputed islands.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. told reporters in Manila that a senior U.S. Navy official reported spotting a suspected Chinese survey ship at Scarborough Shoal a few weeks ago.
The timing of the statement was particularly important, coming as it did weeks before an expected ruling by an arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on an action brought by the Philippines against China in 2013.
It was not disclosed where in the South China Sea the drills took place.
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This weekend’s flight came just days after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter Friday visited a warship close to flashpoint waters, after announcing joint naval patrols with the Philippines. China says it has no hostile intent.
