Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian blasted the Pentagon statement on the Chinese missile launches of earlier this week, in which the U.S. charged that PLA military exercises in the South China Sea were destabilizing events. Zhao said the PLA training activities near the Xisha Islands are routine and not related to the disputes in the South China Sea.
“I would like to point out that for quite some time, the U.S. has frequently dispatched in large numbers advanced warships, fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft all the way to the South China Sea to project its power and engage in military provocations, undermining China’s sovereignty and security interests as well as the normal order of navigation in the South China Sea,” he said. “The U.S. has become the saboteur and troublemaker of peace and stability in the South China Sea. The international community bears witness to these all. The U.S. side should stop stirring up trouble and causing discord in the South China Sea and play a constructive role in safeguarding regional peace and stability.”
Global Times followed in an editorial warning yesterday that the U.S. ought to pay attention when China launches missiles like the DF-21D and DF-26B into the South China Sea. “If U.S. warships navigate and pass through the South China Sea with no harm, they should not worry about PLA exercises, as the Chinese army will not threaten foreign ships passing by,” Global Times wrote. “But the U.S.’s intention is malicious when it sends warships to the South China Sea. They should have thought about how the PLA will launch DF-21D and DF-26B missiles in the worst-case scenario. In other words, the two missiles are prepared for U.S. aircraft carriers if they were to attack the PLA in the South China Sea.”
