The military blueprint also mentioned
the us in its opening section about
prominent destabilizing factors and
profound changes in the international
security environment. China has been increasing its attempts
to assert its sovereignty over taiwan
which it considers a wayward province of
one china and sacred chinese territory. The u.s has no formal ties with taiwan
but is bound by law to help provide the
island with help and as its main source
of arms.
When outlining china's defensive
approach the report also pledged to
surely counter-attack if attacked. This
report is the 10th white paper since
1998. The last one was published in 2011
two years before Xi jinping became
president.
China also accused the u.s of power
politics in its latest report. This was due to the Trump administration
adjusting, u.s national security to now
regard china as a rival. The report said the u.s has adjusted its
national security and defense strategies
and adopted unilateral policies it has
provoked an intensified competition
among countries significantly increased
its defense expenditure and undermined
global stability.
Meanwhile china expressed deep concerns
on thursday over a u.s navy warship
sailing through the taiwan strait in the
south china sea, despite the warning from
its report. The warship sent to the 112 mile wide
180 km taiwan strait was identified as
the antietam.
But Commander Clay Das a spokesman for
the u.s navy's 7th fleet said in a
statement on wednesday the transit
through the taiwan strait demonstrates
the u.s commitment to a free and open
indo-pacific. The u.s navy will continue to fly sail
and operate anywhere international law
allows. The u.s has on a number of occasions
sailed warships through the waterway
much to the annoyance of beijing.
Tensions in the region have increased in
recent years with the chinese fortifying
a large number of uninhabited islands in
the south china sea over which the
country asserts a territorial claim. The south china sea is a hotbed of
tension in the region. China is engaged in territorial disputes
with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia
and other countries.
The south china sea is a hotbed of
tension in the region. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia Taiwan and Brunei all claim parts of the
south china sea. The waters are home to some of the
world's most important shipping lanes
with trillions of dollars worth of
commercial traffic passing through the
waters each year.
As a vital artery of trade for many of
the world's largest economies the south
china sea has garnered significant
attention. The high concentration of commercial
goods flowing through the relatively Narrow strait of Malacca has raised
concerns about its vulnerability as a
strategic choke point. Beijing has been building artificial
islands in the waters since 2014 that
are home to military installations
including airstrips and radar towers
triggering a push for a code of conduct
to curb such actions.
