China accuses US of serious provocation by flying bombers

[Politically_Incorrect12]

BEIJING (AP) — China's Defense Ministry said Saturday that the U.S. committed "a serious military provocation" by recently flying two Air Force B-52 bombers over a Chinese-controlled man-made island in the South China Sea, a mission that the U.S. appeared to indicate had strayed off course.

The Defense Ministry accused the U.S. of deliberately raising tensions in the disputed region, where China has been aggressively asserting its claims to virtually all islands, reefs and their surrounding seas. It also reiterated that it would do whatever is necessary to protect China's sovereignty.

As is China's usual practice, the Foreign Ministry took a more diplomatic tone, saying the situation was stable.

The U.S. takes no official stance on sovereignty claims in the strategically crucial South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in international trade passes each year. However, Washington insists on freedom of navigation and maintains that China's seven newly created islands do not enjoy traditional rights, including a 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) territorial limit.

Read more at:  news.yahoo.com/china-accuses-us-serious-military-provocation-043456152.html