Published January 25, 2024
BEIJING (AP) – China accused the U.S. of abusing international law with its military maneuvers in the western Pacific, one day after an American naval destroyer sailed through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait.
While China welcomes military-to-military communication with the United States, Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Thursday that U.S. warplane and warship activity “on China’s doorstep” is the root cause of the problems between the two military powers.
“The United States side should stop abusing international law, cease all dangerous and provocative behavior, and strictly restrain the activities of front-line troops, which is the fundamental way to avoid accidents at sea and in the air,” he said at a monthly briefing.
The USS John Finn sailed Wednesday though the 160-kilometer (100-mile)-wide waterway that separates China from Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory.
China agreed to resume military contacts with the U.S. at a meeting last November between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California. In part, the argument for doing so was to be able to manage an unintentional collision or other incident that could happen as both sides hold drills and patrol the waters in regional hotspots including the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
The U.S. defends its actions as in line with international laws that guarantee freedom of navigation.
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SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk
RELATED: China military says U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait ‘hyped’ passage
Troops followed the USS John Finn; U.S. accused of recent ‘provocative acts’
Published January 25, 2024
BEIJING (Reuters) — China’s military said it organized troops to follow and monitor a U.S. destroyer that transited through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, according to a statement.
A spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said the USS John Finn destroyer “openly hyped” the passage, in a statement released late Wednesday.
“Recently, the U.S. military has frequently carried out provocative acts and maliciously undermined regional peace and stability. The troops in the theater are on high alert at all times and resolutely defend national sovereignty,” the spokesperson said.
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SOURCE: www.asia.nikkei.com
RELATED: China’s PLA watches as US warship sails through Taiwan Strait in ‘provocative’ move
Published January 25, 2024
- Destroyer’s transit shows United States’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation, Seventh Fleet commander says
- People’s Liberation Army spokesman accuses US military of ‘maliciously’ undermining peace and stability in the region
In a statement, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said that on Wednesday, the USS John Finn, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, had sailed through the Taiwan Strait and “publicly hyped” it.
He said the PLA monitored the US Navy vessel “throughout the entire process, and dealt with it in accordance with laws and regulations”.
“Recently, the US military has frequently carried out provocative actions and maliciously undermined regional peace and stability,” Shi said. “Troops in the theatre remain on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.”
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
