Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday accused the United States of trying to undermine the stability in the South China Sea, following a US naval exercise in the region
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday accused the United States of trying to undermine the stability in the South China Sea, following a US naval exercise in the region.
On Saturday, the United States' Nimitz and Ronald Reagan carrier strike groups, joined by a B-52 Stratofortress bomber, conducted a maritime exercise in the South China Sea as the country celebrated Independence Day, while also coinciding with Beijing's own military exercises near the disputed Paracel Islands archipelago (known in China as the Xisha archipelago), located in the region.
"Currently, the situation in the South China Sea is, on the whole, stable and is progressing in a positive direction, thanks to the joint efforts of China and the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] countries. Under such circumstances, the US purposefully deployed its naval forces to the corresponding waters of the South China Sea to hold a large-scale military drill, which is a clear display of strength," Zhao said at a press briefing.
The spokesman stressed that by engaging in such activities, Washington was trying "to drive a wedge in the regional states' relationships, facilitate the region's militarization, and undermine the peace and stability in the South China Sea region."
For decades, China has been disputing the status of a number of territories in the South China Sea that it lays claim to, primarily the Paracel and Spratly Island, and the Scarborough Shoal.
In recent years, the US has been deploying its naval forces to the islands. Despite protests from Beijing, Washington has maintained that its ships will sail everywhere permitted by international law.
