JAKARTA - The United States (US) is again making China angry. The naval ship belonging to the superpower took provocative actions by sailing around the islands which are suspected to be part of China's territory in the South China Sea. China feels the US does not respect the country's sovereignty.
"We urge the US to stop their provocative actions to avoid unwanted events. China has undeniable sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and the surrounding area," said a spokesman for China's Southern Theater Command, quoted by the Straits Times.
The US action exacerbated the situation because China was already experiencing tensions with neighboring countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. China claims nearly all of its waters in the South China Sea, even setting up military outposts on the surrounding islands. However, these countries claim to have rights to part of the sea.
The US also accuses China of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian countries who want to expand oil and gas mining.
"Our mission is based on the rule of law and demonstrates our (US) commitment to upholding the rights, freedoms and lawful use of guaranteed waters and airspace for all nations," said US Navy Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Reann Mommsen. .
Interfering with the US in Chinese affairs
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has met Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in closed talks on the sidelines of a defense ministers meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the talks, China asked the US military to stop adding new problems related to the South China Sea. In addition, China also asked the US to stop interfering with its problems with Taiwan. The US has supported Taiwan to separate from China, while China itself still insists that Taiwan be under Chinese rule.
China is also disturbed by the US attitude in supporting the protesters in Hong Kong. After five months of demonstrations in Hong Kong, the US took a stand by continuing to support the protesters by drafting two bills.
The US House of Representatives issued two bills aimed at protecting the human rights of participants involved in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. US President Donald Trump will reportedly sign the bill, although he has not publicly confirmed this.
Quoted from Vice, the bill will also allow the US to impose sanctions on officials deemed responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the second bill will prohibit the provision of tears, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun kits to the Hong Kong police.
The bill immediately received a negative response from the Chinese side, the Chinese Foreign Minister immediately issued a statement asking the US to stop interfering with the issue of the Bamboo Curtain country.
"We urge the US to understand our situation, stop all of this before it's too late, prevent the bill from becoming law, and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs," said Chinese Foreign Minister Geng Shuang.
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