A US State Department spokesman has taken a swipe at Beijing and Moscow, saying their militarization is making the world unsafe. John Kirby said this is a view shared by “much of the rest of the international community.”
Spokesperson Kirby for the US Department of State told a press briefing on Thursday that US military expansion into Eastern Europe and the South China Sea is at the behest of its allies, while dismissing that this could be perceived as a threat by Russia and China.
“Our allies and partners, I think, find [it] pretty comforting and reassuring [that there is a] US military presence in the region, which will continue,” Kirby replied when asked about NATO’s move towards the east not being perceived as a threat, or US ships sailing into the South China Sea.…
Kirby was challenged by AP’s Matt Lee, who said: “Surely you can understand, yes or no, that from the Chinese perspective, that is also militarization and it raises tensions?”Are they serious or putting us on?
However, Kirby, who accused Lee of “speaking for the Chinese government,” simply stated that the actions carried out by Washington are “not militarization,…”
RT
US State Dept. accuses China & Russia of increasing global tensions
China said on Friday that it does not intend to pursue militarization of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea and criticized U.S. air and naval patrols in the region.
China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, adding "China is serious about its commitment not to pursue militarization of the Nansha Islands."
Hong made the remarks after U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said commercial satellite imagery suggested "very recent" placement of missiles on Yongxing Island that goes against China's pledge not to militarize the South China Sea.
"We see no indication that ... this militarization effort, has stopped. And it's doing nothing ... to make the situation there more stable and more secure," Kirby said at a regular news briefing on Thursday.
Hong said that demilitarization in the region is not a matter for just a single country. "There should not be double standards or multi-standards for demilitarization in the South China Sea, and the process requires joint efforts from countries in the region and beyond."
He said the United States is strengthening military deployment in the South China Sea and frequently sends military vessels or planes to waters in the South China Sea to conduct close-in reconnaissance against China.
He also accused the United States of sending missile destroyer and strategic bombers into waters and airspace adjacent to the Nansha Islands and had its allies hold targeted joint military exercises or joint cruises in the region.
The U.S. actions have escalated tensions in the South China Sea and constitute the militarization of the South China Sea, said Hong.
Yongxing Island, the largest island in the Xisha Islands group in the South China Sea, is an inherent part of China's territory, he said.ECNSChina accuses U.S. of militarizing South China Sea
See also
The German view.
Spiegel Online
While Russia has presented a draft resolution to the United Nations asking all parties to respect Syria’s right to sovereignty, the United States and France have criticized the move as a mere distraction. This is unsurprising given that the US and France are both currently violating Syria’s sovereignty.Sputnik
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