Chinese general criticizes US activities in the East Sea

General Pham Truong Long said that the patrol activities of US warships and aircraft in the East Sea are "wrong".

General Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, criticized US patrols in the East Sea today when meeting with Mr.Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff in Beijing, according to Reuters.

At the meeting, Mr. Pham said that the US's actions in the Taiwan issue, the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to South Korea, or sending US warships and aircraft to patrol the East Sea and conduct reconnaissance in the sea and airspace near China are"wrong",negative impact on bilateral military relations and mutual trust.

Mr. Pham's statement was made in the context of the US conducting freedom of navigation patrols near artificial islands illegally built by China in the East Sea, as well as continuing to sell weapons to Taiwan and deploying THAAD to South Korea to guard against missile threats from North Korea.

Mr. Pham declared that China is willing to work with the US to further cooperate, properly handle disputes and sensitive issues, and ensure military cooperation becomes a positive driving force in the relationship.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Dunford said the main purpose of the visit was to sign a framework agreement on a joint dialogue mechanism. Mr. Dunford said he had established a hotline.Live TV chat with generalsFang Fenghui, Chief of General Staff of the Chinese ArmyThe US Embassy also has a line of communication with the Chinese military General Staff.

"We have ways of communicating. What we're looking at is a more responsive, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week communication that can be used in a crisis. That's one of the things we'll be working on," Dunford said.

According to VNE