US military slams China’s activities in South China Sea

The US military has criticized Chinese military activities in the South China Sea, but stressed that Beijing forces have posed no threat to American army assets deployed to the strategic region.

The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on Friday that Chinese military flights in the South China Sea over the past week fit a pattern of destabilizing and aggressive behavior by Beijing but posed no threat to a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group in the area.

"The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group closely monitored all People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Air Force (PLAAF) activity, and at no time did they pose a threat to US Navy ships, aircraft, or Sailors," INDOPACOM spokesperson, US Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, said in the statement.

Kafka claimed that such actions reflected China’s attempt to use its military as a “tool to intimidate or coerce” those operating in international waters and airspace.

The INDOPACOM spokesperson also underlined that the United States would continue to fly, sail and operate in any area where it is allowed by international law.

“The US has a persistent military presence and routinely operates throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the waters and airspace surrounding the South China Sea and East China Sea, just as we have approached the region for the past 240 years,” he said.

Taiwanese officials reported that several Chinese air force aircraft flew into the southwestern corner of its air defense identification zone last weekend, near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, including fighter jets and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

The flights coincided with the US carrier group passing south of the Pratas.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said the Chinese aircraft did not come within 250 nautical miles (460 km) of the US Navy vessels.

Regional security and diplomatic sources familiar with the situation said China's air force had been dispatched on missions since January 23 as part of regular military drills in the region.

MG