The US committed “a serious military provocation” by flying two Air Force B-52 bombers over a Chinese-controlled man-made island in the South China Sea, China’s Defence Ministry says.
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The US added that it has no position on sovereignty over the South China Sea, over which Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei have made various claims of sovereignty.
Pentagon officials told The Wall Street Journal that they are investigating why one of two B-52s on a mission last week flew so close to the artificial Cuarteron Reef, which hosts Chinese communications and military infrastructure, in the Spratly Islands.
This may have been because of bad weather conditions, according to officials quoted in the newspaper.
The society also said that it would create a committee to assist the government in formulating grounds in worldwide law regarding the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
US Representative Donald Payne on Tuesday said Taiwan was willing to work with other parties to ensure peace and stability in the region, uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight and conserve and develop resources in the region. The Americans regularly conduct so-called “freedom of navigation operations” in the area.
The Chinese Defence Ministry demanded that Washington take action to prevent a similar incident occurring. 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.
And in October 2015, the US Lassen, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12-nautical miles of the Nansha Islands, despite warning from the Chinese navy.
While China understands the concerns of nations from outside the region – a clear reference to the U.S. – Wang said they should “do more to benefit peace and stability and support efforts to find a resolution through talks, and not manufacture tensions or even fan the flames”.
But, the United Nations will not recognise such artificial islands -nautical mile sea limit states can claim for sovereign territory.
China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday it had warned the aircraft to leave.
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Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province and filed a diplomatic complaint demanding the United States not go through with the arms sale in order to avoid harming US-China relations.
