Beijing defends PLA navy’s ‘justified, lawful, safe and professional’ move against US provocations

AFP: The US military has said that a Chinese navy ship maneuvered in an unsafe manner near an American military ship in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, with the distance between the ships reportedly less than 140 meters. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this matter? Wang Wenbin: The spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command has made a statement on this. You may refer to that. The fact is the US side made provocations first and the Chinese side only responded by handling the incident in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. China respects the freedom of navigation and overflight all countries are entitled to under international law. The actions taken by the Chinese military are necessary steps in response to the provocations by the country concerned. These actions are completely justified, lawful, safe and professional. China resolutely opposes the country concerned stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Strait and is firmly determined to defend its sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability. I would like to quote the response from the Chinese delegation at the Shangri-La Dialogue, who raised this question: why did all the so-called “unsafe” and “unprofessional” incidents – according to US officials – happen near the airspace and territorial waters of China, but not other countries? This deserves some serious thought. The US made provocations first and China responded by handling the incident in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The actions taken by the Chinese military are completely justified, lawful, safe and professional. It is the US that should reflect on and correct its wrongdoing. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!