Ten years ago, China would NEVER Demand anything from the
US's military.
Today? Things are so different
now.
China on Tuesday demanded
the United States cease what it called illegal activities in the
South China Sea, as it rejected Pentagon assertions that Chinese
vessels harassed a US Navy ship there.
Foreign ministry
spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said US complaints that five Chinese ships had
harassed a US Navy ship in the South China Sea were "totally
inaccurate."
"The US Navy ship
Impeccable broke international law and Chinese laws and
regulations," Ma told reporters in a news briefing.
"China has made
solemn representations to the United States requesting that the US
immediately stop these activities and take effective measures to
avoid similar activities in the future."
The United States
said it had formally protested to Chinese authorities over Sunday's
incident in the South China Sea, about 75 miles (120 kilometres)
south of China's Hainan Island in international waters.
The dispute added
a new dimension to fragile military relations between the world
powers, which had enjoyed a brief period of slight optimism after
the two held defence talks in Beijing last month.
The Pentagon said
the incident saw Chinese boats move directly in front of the
Impeccable, forcing it to take emergency action to avoid a
collision, and then dropped pieces of wood into its path.
"This was a
reckless, dangerous manoeuvre that was unprofessional" and violated
international law, Defence Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told
reporters on Monday.
Ma rejected that
account, saying it was "absolutely unacceptable to China," although
he did not provide an alternative version.
The Impeccable is
a surveillance vessel designed to support anti-submarine
warfare.
Ma said it
violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but
declined to answer when repeatedly asked to specify exactly which
part of the convention was broken.
The Chinese
vessels included a navy intelligence ship, a government fisheries
patrol vessel, a state oceanographic patrol boat and two small
trawlers, the Pentagon said.
Whitman said one
of the Chinese ships came within 25 feet (7.5 metres) of the
Impeccable and that the Chinese crew tried to snag the cables that
tow the ship's underwater sonars.
The White House
demanded China respect international maritime law and said it would
keep up naval operations in the area.
Beijing has long
expressed its dissatisfaction with US surveillance operations by
having Chinese ships and planes approach US naval ships in what it
considers an "economic exclusion zone".
The incident
followed "increasingly aggressive conduct by Chinese vessels" in
the past week -- with Chinese boats steaming near US ships and
aircraft flying low overhead, the Pentagon's statement said.
The stand-off
came after China and the United States agreed at last month's talks
to resume high-level military exchanges cut off last year by China
amid anger over a proposed US arms package to Beijing's diplomatic
rival Taiwan.
Military ties
were also strained in 2001 after the mid-air collision of a US
surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet in the same
area.
The collision
killed the Chinese jet's pilot and the US plane was forced to make
an emergency landing on Hainan. The 24-member US crew were held by
China for 11 days.
the morale of the story is nothing remains unchanged
forever.
the title of your thread is inappropriate though.
