US Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson is on his first visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday, during which he will meet with Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the Chinese navy, according to a US Navy news release.
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Naval chief: islands construction will not stop
by Zhang Yunbi and Zhao Lei (ChinaDaily)
Beijing "will never give up halfway" over its islands construction on the South China Sea, China's naval chief told a visiting US navy officer on Monday.
Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy, also told US Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson that the Chinese navy had made "sufficient preparations" for any sovereignty infringement or provocation.
Despite existing negative factors, Beijing was still willing to peacefully resolve disputes via negotiations and "manage and control crisis through mechanisms and rules", Wu said.
Washington militarily pressured Beijing earlier this year by sending military ships and planes to approach or intrude Chinese territorial space on the South China Sea.
Wu said any attempt to intimidate China by flexing military muscle "will only backfire".
Beijing would "advance and complete islands and reefs construction as planned" no matter which country or individual pressures China, and "the level of our defense on these islands and reefs depends on the threats facing us", Wu said.
Richardson's first visit to China will run from Sunday to Wednesday. He told Wu on Monday that he was ready to join hands in boosting trust and friendship to achieve lasting development of ties between the two navies, militaries and countries.
Fan Jishe, a US researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, warned that the US "has played a negative role in the South China Sea dispute, and its proactive engagement in Asia-Pacific aggravated conflicts".
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| Image Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Declan Barnes/Released |
Zuo Xiying, an international studies specialist at the Renmin University of China, said the South China Sea had become the forefront of China-US competition, and "it would be a good thing if they reinforce strategic communication and formulate more rules accepted by both".
Su Ge, president of the China Institute of International Studies, told the World Peace Forum in Beijing at the weekend that:"Although the cooperation between Beijing Washington cannot give an end to all the issues in the world, not a single major issue could be resolved if the two sides walk into full-scale confrontation.
