China: U.S. actions in S. China Sea are ‘irresponsible’ and 'dangerous’

China said on Friday it was “strongly dissatisfied” after a U.S. spy plane flew over part of the South China Sea this week near where China is building artificial islands, and called on the United States to stop such action or risk causing an accident. The U.S. flight on Wednesday was highlighted by the unusual Pentagon decision to invite a CNN team aboard the Poseidon surveillance plane. It said the Chinese navy issued eight warnings to the aircraft to move away from the contested territory.

Such action is likely to cause an accident, it is very irresponsible and dangerous and detrimental to regional peace and stability.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the Chinese military drove away the aircraft, in accordance with relevant regulations. He labelled the U.S. action a security threat to China’s islands and reefs. A Pentagon spokesman called the mission “routine” and said such flights occurred “every few days.” Colonel Steve Warren said the Poseidon had not gone within 12-mile territorial limits that China claims around the artificial islands but said this could happen in the future.

We don’t recognize those islands as anything other than international space. For us to fly through that, we wouldn’t see that as a change in the way we do business. It just so happens we haven’t flown over them in the last 20 years.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren

World Spratly