Khaleej Times

US criticises China’s militarisa­tion of sea

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beijing — The Pentagon criticised what it called China’s “continued militarisa­tion” of island outposts in the disputed South China Sea, where the Chinese air force landed long-range bombers for the first time, putting entire Southeast Asia within their range.

The China Daily newspaper reported on Saturday that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted takeoff and landing training with the H-6K bomber in the South China Sea.

China is pitted against neighbours in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves.

A statement from the Defence Ministry late Friday said the exercise was conducted on an island reef, but it did not specify when or where, saying only that it took place recently at a “southern sea area.” It involved several H-6Ks taking off from an air base and making a simulated strike against sea targets before landing, the ministry said.

Wang Mingliang, a military expert, was quoted in the statement as saying that the exercises will help the air force improve its “real combat ability against all kinds of marine security threats.”

The US, which doesn’t have any territoria­l claims but insists on freedom of navigation and a peaceful resolution of the disputes without coercion or threat of force, criticized the move.

“The United States remains committed to a free and open IndoPacifi­c,” a Pentagon spokesman, marine Lt-Col. Christophe­r Logan, said in an email. “We have seen these same reports and China’s continued militariza­tion of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabiliz­e the region.” — AP

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