By Shannon Tiezzi
A spokesperson for China’s defense ministry said such operations have been going on for a long time.
Last week, the U.S. military invited CNN on board a surveillance flight in the South China Sea, allowing the news outlet to record Chinese reclamation activities as well as the Chinese military’s warnings that the U.S. plane should “leave immediately.” The U.S. military personnel replied that their aircraft was “conducting lawful military activities acting outside national airspace.”
The incident was especially notable given an earlier report from the Wall Street Journalthat the U.S. Department of Defense is considering conducting surveillance operations within 12 nautical miles of disputed features — an area that China would claim as territorial waters and airspace. The crux of the issue is that the United States wants to publicly register that it does not believe newly-built islands in the South China Sea can generate territorial claims under international law. The publicity push surrounding last week’s surveillance flight was seen as a step in that direction.
As I wrote earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry denounced the surveillance operation as “irresponsible and dangerous.” However, in a regular press conference on Tuesday, China’s Defense Ministry downplayed the incident as old news.
Read the full story at The Diplomat