Current:Home > ScamsChina 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 21:23:19
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! (9911)
Related
- Pete Alonso's best free agent fits: Will Mets bring back Polar Bear?
- McCarthy juggles government shutdown and potential Biden impeachment inquiry as House returns
- Awkwafina, Hayley Williams, Teyana Taylor, more cheer on NYFW return of Phillip Lim
- ‘Stop Cop City’ petition campaign in limbo as Atlanta officials refuse to process signatures
- Knicks Player Ogugua Anunoby Nearly Crashes Into Anne Hathaway and Her Son During NBA Game
- American explorer rescued from deep Turkey cave after being trapped for days
- Man confessed to killing Boston woman in 1979 to FBI agents, prosecutors say
- 6 people fatally shot in Greece, at a seaside town near Athens
- Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
- Luis Rubiales resigns as Spain's soccer federation president after unwanted World Cup kiss
Ranking
- Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
- What to know about a major rescue underway to bring a US researcher out of a deep Turkish cave
- United States takes on Google in biggest tech monopoly trial of 21st century
- Joe Jonas tells fans he's had a 'crazy week' after filing for divorce from Sophie Turner
- Wisconsin’s high court to hear oral arguments on whether an 1849 abortion ban remains valid
- Novak Djokovic honors the late Kobe Bryant after his 24th Grand Slam win
- Aerosmith postpones 6 shows after Steven Tyler suffers vocal cord damage: 'Heartbroken'
- Groups sue EPA in an effort to strengthen oversight of livestock operations
Recommendation
-
Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
-
Full transcript of Face the Nation, Sept. 10, 2023
-
JoJo Siwa Defends Influencer Everleigh LaBrant After “Like Taylor Swift” Song Controversy
-
Poland says it won’t lift its embargo on Ukraine grain because it would hurt its farmers
-
‘Emilia Pérez’ wouldn’t work without Karla Sofía Gascón. Now, she could make trans history
-
North Carolina man charged with animal cruelty for tossing puppy from car window: report
-
Hawaii volcano Kilauea erupts after nearly 2-month pause
-
Danelo Cavalcante press conference livestream: Updates on search for escaped PA prisoner