PRESS RELEASE
The U.S. Is Militarizing the South China Sea, Chinese Official Says
March 4, 2016 (EIRNS)—Speaking at the opening press conference of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 4, NPC Spokesperson Fu Ying was asked by CBS News why China was militarizing the South China Sea.
“I have seen the reports by your and other news services with these misleading claims,” she replied.
“Talking about militarization, if you look into it carefully, the advanced aircraft, warships in and out of the South China Sea, aren’t most of them deployed by America? And the U.S. has made the decision to deploy over 50% of the U.S. Navy to the Asia-Pacific region as a part of their pivot to the region,”
Fu said.
“The U.S. is strengthening military deployments with its alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. If were talking about militarization, what’s this? Isn’t it militarization?”
She added,
“The Chinese Foreign Minister when he was in the U.S. recently made clear that such deployments were provoking resentment by the Chinese people. The U.S. says it is not taking sides in the maritime disputes, but by the actions they are taking, they are provoking changes in the region.”
“These islands, while they are somewhat remote from the mainland, should have their own defense capabilities,” Fu said.
“We have never recognized the occupation of these islands. The Chinese people would not agree if we tried to give up our territory. A defense capability is not equivalent to militarizing the region. If the U.S. were truly interested, they should support negotiations instead of working in the opposite direction. We have questions about their motivations.”
