Restrain your forces in nearby seas: China

BEIJING: The Chinese defence ministry urged the US on Thursday to rein in its front line forces that Beijing has said have become more active in the air and seas near China this year.

China has frequently maintained that a US military presence in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait is the main destabilising factor in the region. The US has said it has freedom of navigation in these areas, which China regards as its geostrategic backyard.

Since US President Joe Biden took office in January, operations of US warships in the seas around China have risen by 20%, while the activity of American reconnaissance aircraft has risen by 40% compared with last year, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian has said.

“We urge the US side to strictly restrain its front line forces, abide by regulations including the Rules of Behaviour for Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters and International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, and prevent similar dangerous incidents from happening again,” Wu said.

The US Navy earlier this month took the rare step of publishing a photo on its main website of a US-guided missile destroyer, the USS Mustin, watching China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier carry out an drill.

Wu said the USS Mustin had interfered with the Chinese exercise and threatened the freedom of navigation of both vessels and the safety of their crews. He said Chinese navy ships warned away the Mustin and Beijing had lodged a formal complaint to the US over the matter.