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China reacts to US military expansion plan | China reacts to US military expansion plan |
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Beijing has urged its neighbors to be wary of Washington’s growing footprint | |
The Chinese Defense Ministry has called on Asia-Pacific nations to be on the lookout for US military deployments in the region, citing the Pentagon’s plan to rebuild a World War II-era airfield on a small island north of Guam. | |
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, military spokesman Wu Qian said the airfield scheme was merely a way for Washington to “maintain its hegemony,” a move that would only “stoke confrontation.” | Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, military spokesman Wu Qian said the airfield scheme was merely a way for Washington to “maintain its hegemony,” a move that would only “stoke confrontation.” |
“The Chinese military is paying close attention to moves by the United States, and will firmly safeguard China's maritime rights, security and sovereignty in the region,” he said. | “The Chinese military is paying close attention to moves by the United States, and will firmly safeguard China's maritime rights, security and sovereignty in the region,” he said. |
Wu went on to denounce such deployments as indicative of a “Cold War mindset,” echoing past condemnations of US military activity across the region, including regular transits of the disputed Taiwan Strait by American naval vessels. | |
Earlier this month, US Air Force General Kenneth Wilsbach told Japanese media that the Pentagon would soon make major progress in reclaiming the abandoned Tinian airfield – which was used for the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War, but has since fallen into disrepair. | Earlier this month, US Air Force General Kenneth Wilsbach told Japanese media that the Pentagon would soon make major progress in reclaiming the abandoned Tinian airfield – which was used for the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War, but has since fallen into disrepair. |
The general noted that the renovation project was part of a broader plan to station American warplanes across the region. | |
“If you pay attention in the next few months, you will see significant progress,” Wilsbach added, without offering an exact timeframe for when the installation would be ready for use. | |
Abandoned after World War II, the Tinian airbase is located on a small islet in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory north of Guam and about 1,800 miles (3,000km) east of the Chinese mainland. | Abandoned after World War II, the Tinian airbase is located on a small islet in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory north of Guam and about 1,800 miles (3,000km) east of the Chinese mainland. |