BEIJING, Nov.25 -- China urges the US side to stop close-in reconnaissance, interference, provocation and show of force in the Asia-Pacific region, said a Chinese defense spokesperson at a regular press conference on Thursday.
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made this remark when being asked to comment on the US military's actions to hold officials accountable for the USS Connecticut nuclear submarine collision and dismiss the submarine’s commanding officers.
Wu said that, since the collision occurred, the US side’s awkward and secretive attitude has inevitably raised doubts in the international community. The US side should answer three questions clearly. First, what’s the intention of the US submarine’s navigation? Second, what’s the exact location of the collision? Finally, did it cause nuclear leakage or marine environmental pollution?
Wu pointed out that China believes the root causes of this incident are the extensive and high-intensity close-in reconnaissance, interference, provocation and show of force made by the US military vessels in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the United States’ militarization and navigation hegemony in the South China Sea. “We urge the US side to stop such activities immediately, so as to avoid beating its head against the wall,” Wu said.