China criticizes US warplanes' operation near Huangyan Island
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 25, 2016
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Huangyan Island. [File photo] |
China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday voiced objection to the flights of six U.S. Air Force planes in "international airspace" in the vicinity of Huangyan Island in the South China Sea on April 19.
"We have noticed such reports, and it should be pointed out that the U.S. is pushing militarization of the South China Sea in the name of 'Freedom of Navigation,'" the ministry's Information Bureau said in a statement.
China is concerned about and opposed to such actions which threaten the sovereignty and security of countries around the South China Sea and undermine regional peace and stability, it stressed.
China’s Foreign Ministry also accused the US of "hyping up" recent military flights around Huangyan Island.
Asked about a South China Morning Post report on Monday that said China will start constructing an outpost on Huangyan Island this year, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had not heard of the case.
"However, I saw media reports that military planes from the US and the Philippines flew over the sea around Huangyan Island," Hua said.
She said China has always respected the right to normal and legal flights.
"But such high-profile hyping (of the flights concerned) is abnormal, and the motivation questionable."
She also said that Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory, and Beijing will "take necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and justified rights and interests".
Hua said China does not want to see further provocation by the countries concerned and hopes they will show restraint.
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