After a week of accusations by the United States and its allies about China’s military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region, Beijing said it will hold naval exercises in the South China Sea tomorrow.
The maneuvers will be carried out in a small maritime zone close to the coast of China, away from disputed areas with Vietnam and the Philippines.
“The military exercise will be held and the area will be banned,” the Maritime Security Administration released the coordinates of the area in question on Thursday. Said.
The area is located about 25 kilometers south of the island of Hainan (South) and is about 100 square kilometers in size.
China regularly conducts naval exercises, usually near its shores. Maneuvers in another maritime area, again close to Hainan, are scheduled for next week.
Seeing China as a strategic competitor, the United States regularly warns of Beijing’s growing military and economic presence in a region stretching from the South China Sea to the Pacific Islands.
They say this presence is a strategy to change the balance of power in the region.
“Beijing is increasingly engaging in provocative rhetoric and activities, such as planes flying near Taiwan almost daily,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Blinken also called for countering “China’s intention to reshape the international order” on Thursday.
Regarding the US secretary’s speech, Chinese officials said they felt slandered today.
Wang Webin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the speech “spreads false information, exaggerates the Chinese threat, interferes with China’s internal affairs, and slanders the country’s domestic and international policies,” and speculated that the purpose of this speech was to “control and prevent.” China’s development”.
In his speech, Blinken also accused Beijing of escalating tensions over Taiwan, an autonomous island of which China claims to be a part of, and said Beijing “cuts off Taiwan’s relations with countries around the world and prevents it from participating in international organisations.”
Wang said today that China “absolutely” opposes Blinken’s speech, saying it shows Washington’s intention to “control and suppress China’s development and maintain US hegemony and power.”
Blinken’s comments came after US President Joe Biden promised this week he would defend Taiwan if Beijing attacked the island.
In response, Chinese diplomacy has urged the United States not to “underestimate” China’s “determination” to defend its sovereignty.
source: Noticias
