Media's bias embellishes S.China Sea encounter

Source
Global Times
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2018-04-20 22:16:51

Some Western media still view China's legal and normal military actions with bias, said Chinese experts after the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MOD) slammed foreign media reports saying Australian warships had been "challenged" by the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea.

Chinese naval vessels encountered Australian warships in the South China Sea on April 15, the Chinese MOD said on Friday.

"The Chinese vessels used professional language to communicate with the Australian side, and the operation was in accordance with laws and regulations and was conducted professionally and safely."

"China always respects and actively defends the freedom of navigation and freedom of flight of every country enjoys in the South China Sea according to international law," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily briefing on Friday.

"We hope Australia will face up to the trend toward a good and stable situation in the South China Sea, and work with China and other regional countries to maintain peace and stability of the area to create a more positive environment on the South China Sea," Hua noted.

Australia's ABC news reported on Friday that "three Australian warships were challenged by the Chinese military as they sailed through the disputed South China Sea earlier this month."

"It is normal for Chinese navy ships to communicate in a professional and legal way when they encounter warships from other countries," said Wang Xiaopeng, a maritime border expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Some Western media, including those in Australia, have a biased view of China's normal and legal military actions, because they are still influenced by the 'China Threat Theory,'" Wang said. "Such deceptive reports create a circle of misunderstanding in Western society."

Wang said that Australia has a twisted attitude toward China, as it is usually calm when it needs China economically but often holds the wrong stance when it comes to geopolitics.

China should continue to cooperate with regional countries in the South China Sea, so that the countries have no excuse to intervene in the South China Sea issue, he noted.

 

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