South China Sea: Beijing threatens military ‘build-up’ to US

BEIJING accuses Washington of “provoking trouble” after US warship sails close to contested reef, warning it has no choice but to build up its military.

CHINA will have no choice but to build its abilities in the South China Sea if the United States continues to “wantonly” provoke trouble in the waters, Beijing’s top newspaper has warned.

The response came after a US Navy warship, the USS Hopper, sailed close to a contested reef west of the Philippines last Wednesday, two days before Defence Secretary Jim Mattis unveiled a new strategy calling China and Russia the biggest threats to the US, not terrorism, Fox News reported.

Mr Mattis’ comments come at a time when the Trump administration is working for co-operation with Beijing on North Korea.

“If the relevant party once more makes trouble out of nothing and causes tensions, then it will only cause China to reach this conclusion: in order to earnestly protect peace in the South China Sea, China must strengthen and speed up the building of its abilities there,” The People’s Daily said in the commentary, according to Reuters.

A Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea in May last year. Picture: Liu Rui/Xinhua/AP

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims, equipping some with air strips and military installations that have alarmed rival claimant countries and Western governments led by the United States.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Saturday that China would take “necessary measures” to protect its sovereignty after the USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening without China’s permission.

The US does not claim territory in the South China Sea but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law.

The US Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation.

Lt Cdr Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said on Saturday that such operations are “not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements”.

Instead they aim to “demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.”

- with AP

This article originally appeared on Fox Newsand has been republished here with permission.