News / Military

Pentagon: China recent missile test in South China Sea 'disturbing'

Wednesday, 03 July 2019 4:05 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 03 July 2019 4:12 AM ]

This file photo taken on April 20, 2017, shows an aerial view of reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. (AFP photo)

The US Department of Defense has accused China of exhibiting “disturbing” behavior by launching missiles in the disputed South China Sea.

This comes after two US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have told CNBC that China had recently tested a “series” of anti-ship ballistic missiles in the disputed region, a report Beijing has not confirmed yet.

One of the officials said China had carried out the first test by firing off missiles into the sea over the weekend, adding he expected the Chinese military to do more tests till Wednesday.

“Of course the Pentagon was aware of the Chinese missile launch from the man-made structures in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said on Tuesday.

Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn (File photo)

“I’m not going to speak on behalf of all the sovereign nations in the region, but I’m sure they agree that the PRC’s behavior is contrary to its claim to want to bring peace to the region and obviously actions like this are coercive acts meant to intimidate other (South China Sea) claimants,” said Eastburn. PRC is an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on the matter, referring questions to the Defense Ministry, which refused to respond to a request for comment too.

The Chinese government, however, has said its military started drills last weekend between the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which would end on Wednesday.

The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Beijing and Washington, which regularly dispatches its warships and warplanes to the waters as part of what it describes as “freedom of navigation” patrols.

Beijing has constantly warned the US against its military activities in the sea, saying that potential close military encounters by air and naval forces of the two countries in the region could easily trigger miscalculation or even accidents at sea or in air.

PressTV-China military warns off US warship in disputed sea

Beijing says it has lodged “stern representations” with Washington after an American navy ship sailed near the disputed South China Sea islands.

It has also urged the US on numerous occasions to stop meddling in Beijing’s territorial disputes with its neighbors, which have competing sovereignty claims to the strategic waters.

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