China says US is stuck with Cold War mentality
China says the US is stuck with a Cold War mentality following a statement made by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter over Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (seen below) said that Carter’s last week remarks that China was building a “Great Wall of self-isolation” were nothing but an attempt to cover up the US’s plans to send further military forces to the region.
She noted that his remarks “laid bare the stereotypical US thinking and US hegemony,” adding that, “Indeed, there are some in the US who live physically in the 21st century, but whose minds are stuck in the Cold War era.”
“China has no interest in any form of cold war, nor are we interested in playing a role in a Hollywood movie written and directed by certain US military officials. However, China has no fear of and will counter any actions that threaten and undermine China’s sovereignty and security,” she added.
During a speech at the US Naval Academy on Friday, Carter (seen below) said China is trying to bolster its claims over the region by creating islands on coral reefs and adding military infrastructures.
"Countries across the region -- allies, partners, and the unaligned -- are voicing concerns publicly and privately at the highest levels," he stressed.
He also said that despite wanting free trade and a free internet, China tends to restrict both.
“China’s actions [in the South China Sea] challenge fundamental principles, and we can’t look the other way,” he added.
China's construction of several artificial islands in the sea has been heavily criticized by Washington, which accuses Beijing of a “land reclamation program” to build up to 800 hectares (about 2,000 acres) of artificial islands.
The South China Sea has become a source of tension between China, the US, and some other regional countries, who are seeking control of trade routes and mineral deposits there.
China has on different occasions asserted its sovereignty over the sea, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The US does not recognize China’s sovereignty in the disputed areas and is weighing sending more surveillance aircraft and warships to test its territorial claims. It fears China will use the territory as a military base to control navigation in the sea.
China, however, rejects the allegations and says the US is interfering in regional affairs, deliberately stirring tensions in the South China Sea.
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