Beijing expressed “serious concern”sets its military and south sea fleet on high alert status.
Chinese authority orders its PLA air force, navy fleet and ground troops guarding those artificial islands to prepare for any eventualities after they received reports that the United States Navy are now preparing to send warships “within days” around its fake islands in West Philippine Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a daily briefing said, “We express serious concern about it, we hope the U.S. can look upon the current situation of the South China Sea from an objective and fair perspective and play a constructive role together with China in keeping the peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
US-based military newspaper Navy Times reported on Wednesday that the Navy may soon receive approval for the mission to sail around one of the man-made structures.
The Post said the mission will carry out either a destroyer, a cruiser, or a littoral combat ship. “Whether that is a destroyer loaded out with missiles or an LCS with less weapons, the point wouldn’t be about which weapons the Navy is sending,” a US defense official said speaking to The Post on condition of anonymity. “The objective to this would be to demonstrate that this is international water.”
The report has cited three Pentagon officials saying that Navy officials now believe “approval of the mission is imminent.”
Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy monitors on the deck of the China’s aircraft carrier, the Liaoning
Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, said the navy would send warships to intercept the US vessels if they ignored the warnings.
Another source close to the PLA said Beijing had several more “cost-effective” solutions to such a confrontation.
“We could scramble drones to expel the vessels, or simply order the Second Artillery Corps to fire from distance,” he said.
Posted on: World News
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