China has reportedly fired two missiles, including one called a “plane killer”, into the South China Sea in a scathing warning to the United States as tensions in the disputed sea track rise to new levels.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Thursday that Beijing on Wednesday fired one medium-range ballistic missile, DF-26B, from Qinghai province and another medium-range ballistic missile, DF-21D, from Zhejiang province on Wednesday. in response to U.S. aviation activities in a “no-fly zone” area.
In response, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that China had repeatedly lacked promises to abide by international law, noting that China’s muscles seemed to flex the most in Southeast Asia.
The two rockets were allegedly fired in the direction of the area between Hainan province and the disputed Paracel Islands, added the publication from Hong Kong, citing an unnamed source.
According to the newspaper, an American U-2 spy plane entered a Chinese-designated “no-fly zone” without permission during a life-saving naval exercise conducted by China in the Bohai Sea off its north coast on Tuesday without permission.
In a post on social media, Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, said that the US movement “seriously disrupted China’s normal exercises and” training activities “.
Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Minister, described the espionage flight as “provocative actions” and urged to stop the US.
The DF-26B rocket, which was formally launched earlier this month, is capable of hitting moving targets at sea, making it an “airplane killer”, according to state-owned Global Times.
Chinese Defense spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian was quoted as saying that the rocket could carry conventional or nuclear warheads and was capable of launching precision strikes on land and sea targets.
With its range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles), DF-26 can reach the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as American facilities in Guam, the British Isle of Diego Garcia and even the Australian city of Darwin.
Esper, in a thinly veiled swipe at China, said the United States has a responsibility to lead in the Pacific and “will not give up an inch” to other countries that think their political system is better.
China has not kept its promises to abide by international law, rules and standards, and Beijing wants to project its power worldwide, he added.
“To advance the CCP’s agenda, the People’s Liberation Army is pursuing an aggressive modernization plan to reach a world-class army by the middle of the century,” said Esper, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
“This will undoubtedly undermine the provocative behavior of the PLA in the Sea and East China, and everywhere else, the Chinese government has considered critical of its interests.”
‘Within accepted rules’
The DF-21 is described as an anti-ship ballistic missile system, also intended for attacking moving ships at sea.
In July, two U.S. planes carried out freedom of navigation and military exercises with their allies in the South China Sea, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, a U.S. official confirmed the launch of the two rockets on Wednesday and added an assessment going on to determine the type of rocket launched.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, confirmed the U-2 flood, adding activity in the Pacific region “within the accepted international rules and regulations for aircraft flights”.
News of the rocket launches comes when the US announced that it was blacklisting 24 Chinese companies and targeting individuals they said were part of construction and military actions in the South China Sea, their first such sanctions move against Beijing across the disputed seas.
The U.S. Commerce Department said the two dozen companies “played a role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea.”
Separately, the State Department said that Chinese individuals “responsible for, or participate in” such actions and those linked to the “use of force against Southeast Asian observers to restrict their access to offshore resources” would impose visa restrictions. lizzen.
In July, Washington said it could sanction Chinese officials and companies involved in coercion in the South China Sea, after announcing a stricter stance and dismissing Beijing’s claims on offshore resources there as “completely illegal” .
China claims virtually all of the potential energy of the South China Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of an area that generates more than $ 3 trillion in trade each year.
# US disrupt China’s normal exercises and training activities, and violate China’s air and maritime security rules of conduct, as well as relevant international practices. We urge the US to stop such provocative and dangerous actions. https://t.co/RDJoMvh0zW
– Liu Xiaoming (@AmbLiuXiaoMing) August 26, 2020
The US accuses China of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who may want to exploit their vast oil and gas reserves.
U.S. warships have marched through the area to seize freedom of access to international waterways, raising fears of confrontation.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington condemned the US sanctions as “completely unreasonable”, and urged the US to reverse them.
“[South China Sea Islands] is an integral part of China’s territory, and it is entirely fair for us to build facilities and deploy the necessary defensive equipment there, “the spokesman said.
“The Chinese government has made firm decisions to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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