2024-04-07 12:43:49
The delegation of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA), during a meeting of the Sino-American Maritime Security Consultative Mechanism held in Hawaii, expressed its readiness to respond to provocative actions taken under the pretext of ensuring freedom of navigation and flight.
As Day.Az reports with reference to TASS, this was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic.
“The Chinese side noted that <...> strongly opposes any action that [якобы] in the name of freedom of navigation and flight, they jeopardize the sovereignty and security of the PRC,” says a message published on the military department’s page on the WeChat social network. “China’s armed forces will continue to respond to all dangerous and provocative actions in accordance with the law.”
Members of the PLA delegation reminded the Pentagon that issues related to the protection of Chinese ships and aircraft are “inextricably linked to national security.” “The PRC will firmly defend its territorial sovereignty, rights and interests at sea, and maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” they emphasized.
According to the Ministry of Defense, during consultations held on April 3 and 4, representatives of the armed forces of the two states had a “frank and constructive exchange of views” on the current situation in the field of security at sea and in the air. The parties discussed the code of conduct for unscheduled meetings of the Navy and combat aircraft, and paid attention to measures regarding the optimal resolution of relevant issues. The meeting, as noted, was aimed at implementing the “important consensus” reached between the leaders of China and the United States and ensuring the “stable and sustainable development of inter-military ties.”
The previous round of consultations in this format took place in December 2021. The decision to restore interaction on the basis of this mechanism was made following negotiations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November last year in San Francisco. The dialogue between the military of the two states was suspended due to an unauthorized trip to Taiwan in 2022 by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, who was then Nancy Pelosi.
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