Military experts said the disclosure was meant to show that the newly formed Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, was well-prepared for any potential military confrontation with the US.
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In an apparent attempt to head-off large-scale street demonstrations, Chinese state newspapers have criticized scattered protests against KFC restaurants and other US targets sparked by an worldwide tribunal’s ruling last week that denied Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.
The case against China was brought by USA ally the Philippines but the protesters’ public anger has been fueled in part by Chinese government accusations that Washington encouraged Manila to oppose Beijing’s claims to the vast tracts of ocean.
Expressing worry over the rising tensions in the South China Sea region, Fein called on the U.S.to come back to senses and abandon its mentality of exceptionalism.
The platform, adopted on Monday, says China has been asserting “preposterous” claims to the South China Sea to distract its people from economic problems, practices “cultural genocide” in Tibet and Xinjiang, and reaffirms a commitment to sell weapons to self-ruled Taiwan.
Richardson “underscored the importance of lawful and safe operations in the South China Sea and elsewhere where professional navies operate”, the Navy said.
Freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could end “in disaster”, a senior Chinese admiral said over the weekend. The top US admiral said friendly exchanges with China’s navy are conditional on safe and professional interactions at sea.
China defines “relevant and irrelevant parties” to prevent countries “outside the region” like the United States and Japan, as described by Beijing, from interfering in the East Sea issue, he said.
Analysts in the US said the apparent shift in China’s negotiating strategy was noteworthy, but that Beijing needs to build trust with the other claimants.
The visit, which has been in work for months, was Richardson’s first visit to China and his first in-person meeting with Wu.
Richardson said he was supportive of the deepening of relations between the USA and Chinese navies.
“This will not change”, Richardson said.
Asked if China would take retaliatory trade measures against the Philippines because of the ruling, China’s vice minister of commerce Gao Yan told reporters that trade relations with Manila were developing smoothly.
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Cui also reiterated China’s commitment to building a new model for major-country relationships featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation with the US.
