Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer
USS Dewey (DDG 105)
By Chen Boyuan
China.org.cn, May 26, 2017
Chinese navy missile frigates identified and
expelled a U.S. destroyer entering the South China Sea on May 25, the Ministry
of National Defense (MOD) confirmed the same day.
MOD spokesman Colonel Ren Guoqiang told a
routine press briefing that the USS Dewey entered waters adjacent to the Meiji
Reef, prompting the PLA Navy missile frigates CNS Liuzhou and CNS Luzhou to
identify and warn it to leave the area.
Col. Ren's remark was in response to the
request to confirm media reports claiming that the USS Dewey was "within
the 12-nautical mile zone of the Meiji Reef" on a so-called "freedom
of navigation" mission.
He reaffirmed that China has
"indisputable sovereignty" over the Nansha Islands and waters
surrounding them. "The Chinese military lodged solemn representations with
the United States against such acts of flaunting its forces and boosting
regional militarization."
The MOD spokesman stressed that the United
States is a destabilizing factor especially when the situation in the South
China Sea was being ameliorated as a result of the joint efforts by China and
ASEAN countries.
He said a healthy and stable
military-to-military relationship was in the common interests of China and the
United States whereas "erroneous acts by the U.S. military will only
prompt the Chinese military to strengthen its capacity in order to safeguard
the country's sovereignty and security."
Earlier this month, the MOD accused the
United States of conducting close-in reconnaissance in the airspace over the
Yellow Sea. MOD spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian said such spying activities of
U.S. military aircraft and vessels were the "fundamental causes" of
problems in security issues between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Ren rebuffed Japanese media's
allegation that China was deploying HQ-9 air defense missiles in the southern
province of Hainan and was about to mark off a no-fly zone in the South China
Sea.
He said that deploying weapons in Hainan was China's
own business within the scope of its sovereignty.
"As for the so-called 'no-fly zone,' it
is a complete fabrication by the Japanese media. I am astonished by how far the
fabrication has gone."
Original post: china.org.cn
CNS Liuzhou (573): Details
CNS Luzhou (592): Details
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