The United States has denounced current Chinese military exercises around an archipelago in the South China Sea as a threat to regional stability. The US Department of Defense said yesterday that it was „concerned“ about the maneuvers on the Paracel Islands that had begun the previous day. These operations „further destabilize the situation,“ the Pentagon warned.
China and other countries bordering the South China Sea have rival territorial claims in the sea area. China claims practically the entire South China Sea. Taiwan and Vietnam also claim the Paracel Islands.
China upset about US warships
The Pentagon appealed to the neighboring countries of the South China Sea to restrain themselves and to refrain from military activities that could „aggravate“ the territorial conflicts. It announced that it would continue to monitor China’s military activities in the sea area.
China, for its part, is upset by the use of US warships in the sea area and warns of the risk of military escalation.
The territorial conflicts in the South China Sea are one of many issues that put a heavy strain on the relationship between the United States and China. Relations are tense, among other things, due to trade disputes, disputes about how to deal with the CoV pandemic and the Chinese interference in the autonomy rights of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
