[Red]Chinese Navy multi-role frigate Hengshui (572) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) transit in formation during Rim of the Pacific 2016 on July 28, 2016.
US Navy photo.
Posted on 05/23/2018 2:12:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The following is the complete statement by Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan:
“The United States is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific. China’s continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and destabilize the region. As an initial response to China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise. China’s behavior is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise.”
“We have strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea. China’s landing of bomber aircraft at Woody Island has also raised tensions.”
“While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection, and other non-military functions the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use.”
“We have called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarization of disputed South China Sea features.”
“We believe these recent deployments and the continued militarization of these features is a violation of the promise that President Xi made to the United States and the World not to militarize the Spratly Islands.”
(Excerpt) Read more at news.usni.org ...
Nice to have leadership that knows how to respond properly to Chinese aggression.
A series of unexplainable, simultaneous explosion(s) on every atoll illegally occupied by china might convince xi to tone it way down.
The ChiComs will still show up. There’s too much potential intelligence to be gathered to miss out.
The moment hostilities between America and China start I am sure that wiping China’s artificial islands off the face of the earth will be a day 1 priority.
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