Current:Home > MyChina accuses US of ‘abusing’ international law by sailing in Taiwan Strait and South China Sea-LoTradeCoin
China accuses US of ‘abusing’ international law by sailing in Taiwan Strait and South China Sea
View Date:2024-12-23 14:59:49
BEIJING (AP) — China accused the U.S. of abusing international law with its military maneuvers in the western Pacific, one day after an American naval destroyer sailed through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait.
While China welcomes military-to-military communication with the United States, Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Thursday that U.S. warplane and warship activity “on China’s doorstep” is the root cause of the problems between the two military powers.
“The United States side should stop abusing international law, cease all dangerous and provocative behavior, and strictly restrain the activities of front-line troops, which is the fundamental way to avoid accidents at sea and in the air,” he said at a monthly briefing.
The USS John Finn sailed Wednesday though the 160-kilometer (100-mile)-wide waterway that separates China from Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory.
China agreed to resume military contacts with the U.S. at a meeting last November between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California. In part, the argument for doing so was to be able to manage an unintentional collision or other incident that could happen as both sides hold drills and patrol the waters in regional hotspots including the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
The U.S. defends its actions as in line with international laws that guarantee freedom of navigation.
“No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms,” the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a news release on the John Finn’s transit of the Strait. “The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.”
China’s rise has given it the ability to project military power into the western Pacific, which brings it into conflict with the United States, long the dominant military power in the region.
The American military activity is aimed in part at deterring China from launching any attack on Taiwan or using its strength to enforce its territorial claims in disputes with smaller neighbors such as the Philippines.
Chinese and Philippine ships clashed last year as disputes over shoals and other outcroppings in the South China Sea flared. China has blamed U.S. support, such as recent joint patrols with the Philippines, for emboldening the latter.
“On the issue of easing tensions in the South China Sea, it is very necessary for the big power concerned, namely the United States, to stop interfering and stop provoking,” Wu said.
Diplomats from China and the Philippines agreed at a recent meeting in Shanghai to work toward lowering tensions in the South China Sea, but doing so won’t be easy.
“It must be frankly stated that it is impossible to resolve the current South China Sea issue overnight,” Wu said.
China is willing to resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation, he said, but warned that “if the Philippine side insists on taking its own course, we will surely take firm countermeasures.”
veryGood! (26251)
Related
- FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo dies at 22 after injuries from October crash
- Government Delays First Big U.S. Offshore Wind Farm. Is a Double Standard at Play?
- What Does a Zero-Carbon Future Look Like for Transportation in Minnesota?
- In Alaska’s North, Covid-19 Has Not Stopped the Trump Administration’s Quest to Drill for Oil
- When do new episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
- Real estate, real wages, real supply chain madness
- New Twitter alternative, Threads, could eclipse rivals like Mastodon and Blue Sky
- New York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs and rabbits
- After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
- Big entertainment bets: World Cup & Avatar
Ranking
- Republican Gabe Evans ousts Democratic US Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado
- Nikki McCray-Penson, Olympic gold-medalist and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 51
- How new words get minted (Indicator favorite)
- Was your flight to Europe delayed? You might be owed up to $700.
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- Hiring cools as employers added 209,000 jobs in June
- Justice Department asks court to pause order limiting Biden administration's contacts with social media companies
- Britney Spears hit herself in the face when security for Victor Wembanyama pushed her hand away, police say
Recommendation
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Something Corporate
-
Interest rates up, but not on your savings account
-
Retail spending dips as holiday sales bite into inflation
-
Warming Trends: The Value of Natural Land, a Climate Change Podcast and Traffic Technology in Hawaii
-
NFL power rankings Week 11: Steelers, Eagles enjoying stealthy rises
-
Trump’s New Clean Water Act Rules Could Affect Embattled Natural Gas Projects on Both Coasts
-
Musk asks in poll if he should step down as Twitter CEO; users vote yes
-
Anthropologie Quietly Added Thousands of New Items to Their Sale Section: Get a $110 Skirt for $20 & More