Japan keeps close watch on Bien Dong Sea after China fires missiles
	Chinese military warns the United States’ by firing ‘aircraft-carrier killer’ missile into South China Sea
	Experts concern as China continuously carries out military exercises

The USS Mustin near the Paracel Islands in the Bien Dong Sea on August 27. Photo: Handout

China says it has warned off a US guided-missile destroyer in the Bien Dong Sea which was deployed to the disputed waters after a Chinese missile launch in the latest of a series of escalating tensions in the region.

"The command's naval and air forces tracked, verified, and identified the warship, and warned it off," Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, was quoted by Xinhua as saying on late August 27

"Ignoring the rules of international law, the US side has repeatedly provoked troubles in the South China Sea, exercising navigational hegemony under the pretext of 'freedom of navigation'," said Li, adding that such moves severely undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, and the navigational order in the Bien Dong Sea.

Li urged the US side to stop provocations, strictly manage the actions of its naval and air forces, and restrain its frontline troops so as not to trigger unexpected incidents.

China noted unlawfully that it has indisputable sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the Bien Dong Sea and their adjacent waters, Li said the Southern Theater Command would always remain on high alert, resolutely safeguarded China's national sovereignty and security, and firmly maintained peace and stability in the Bien Dong Sea.

China says certain US politicians are attempting to damage Chin-US military ties

US Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper speaks at the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. Photo: US Department of Defense

US Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said in Honolulu on August 27 that China is threatening the basis for prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and like-minded nations must band together.

Allies and partners are crucial in this new era of great power competition, Esper said at a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies.

The US recognizes the dangers and is reaching out to nations around the globe to counter China's moves, according to the US Department of Defense.

That US network of allies and partners ''remains the enduring asymmetric advantage we have over near-peer rivals, namely China, that attempt to undermine and subvert the rules-based order to advance their own interests – often at the expense of others,'' he said.

The Chinese Communist Party – not the people – rule China, and the leaders in Beijing have repeatedly fallen short of their promises, and China does not abide by international laws, rules or norms, Esper said. This is despite continuing to reap the benefits of the international system and free markets.

The US and China exchanged accusations amid rising military tensions between the world's two largest economies.

China's Defense Ministry the same day hit back such claims, saying "certain US politicians" were attempting to damage China-US military ties in the run-up to the November election for their own selfish gain, even seeking to create military clashes, CGTN said.

"This kind of behavior puts the lives of frontline officers and soldiers on both sides at risk," spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing on the day.

China is not scared of "provocation and pressure" from the US, and will resolutely defend itself and not allow the United States to cause trouble, he added haughtily./.

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