China warned the US about the possible beginning of a naval war

The commander of the naval forces of China, Admiral Wu Shengli, demanded that the United States cease "dangerous and provocative actions" in the South China Sea.

The Chinese commander made such a statement the day before at a video conference with the American admiral John Richardson.

The officers negotiated to prevent conflicts after the American Lassen missile destroyer entered the 12-mile zone of the artificial islands of Nansha (Spratly) in the disputed area of ​​the South China Sea, despite Beijing protests.

“Such actions by the United States have endangered China's sovereignty and security and harmed peace and stability in the region,” Wu Shengli said. “If the US side continues to carry out such dangerous and provocative actions, the navies and air forces of the two countries may find themselves in an emergency situation, even to the point of “involuntarily firing shots while cleaning the gun,” the Chinese admiral warned. The military leader used a Chinese idiom meaning an unexpected incident that results in unforeseen consequences.

Chinese authorities protested the movements of the destroyer Lassen last Tuesday. The Pentagon confirmed the fact of the operation in the South China Sea. Moreover, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter noted that Washington intends to conduct such operations “in the coming weeks and months.” The head of the Pentagon explained that the United States will patrol the specified area, since such actions do not entail any violations of international law.

According to international law, state territorial waters extend to 12 miles from the coast. At the same time, the United States believes that such a rule does not apply to artificial islands.

Previously "Forum" писал about the American destroyer Ross. The Russian side claims that their military aircraft drove the Ross destroyer located in the Black Sea into neutral waters. However, the American Sixth Fleet denies this information.