China angry as US B-52 flies near Truong Sa
China criticized the US for its dangerous moves and said it was not afraid of Washington's warships or military aircraft.
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B-52 bomber flying over the Pacific Ocean in 2009. Photo:USAF. |
An anonymous Pentagon official said on June 4 that a formation of two B-52 strategic bombers flew over an area about 32 km from artificial islands illegally built by China in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying today asked the US to clarify whether it thinks sending such "offensive weapons" to the South China Sea is militarization.
It is very dangerous for the US to "do whatever it wants and China will not be afraid of any ship or plane," Ms. Hoa said, according toReuters.
Speaking at a security conference in Singapore last weekend, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said China had deployed anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and bombers to entities in the South China Sea. He criticized these moves and emphasized that the Indo-Pacific region has always been a priority area of operation for US forces.
Despite rising US-China tensions, Mattis said last week that he would visit China soon. Beijing also said it would welcome Mattis and hoped to continue exchanges with the US military.