China has lodged a complaint against the United States over an incident involving the U.S. spy plane that was driven out by China when it attempted a fly over the Spratly Islands. The incident has fuelled a diplomatic row between the two economic superpowers amidst tensions brewing in the South China Sea.
Last week, China has stated that it was "strongly dissatisfied" with how the U.S. acting regarding the country's reclamation of land in the Spratly Islands, according to Reuters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stated on Monday that China last filed a complaint against the U.S.' "provocative behavior," referring to an incident where China drove away a U.S. military aircraft that was doing a surveillance flight over the disputed waters.
"We urge the U.S. to correct its error, remain rational and stop all irresponsible words and deeds," she said.
"Freedom of navigation and overflight by no means mean that foreign countries' warships and military aircraft can ignore the legitimate rights of other countries as well as the safety of aviation and navigation," she added.
China has also noted "ear-piercing" voices from the United States about reclamation of and construction of military structures on the disputed islands and reefs. The U.S. has consistently advised all the claimants on the disputed territory to halt reclamation, according to NBC News.
The U.S. has accused China of carrying out massive work on the islands, far exceeding the efforts done by other countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
Washington, however, states that the U.S. shall keep sending air and sea patrols in the South China Sea despite concern from security experts that China might impose air and sea restriction in the Spratly Islands, according to Reuters. As of the moment, China is building seven artificial islands in the area.
The state media of China has stepped up its rhetoric against the U.S. However, a look at Weibo, China's version of Twitter shows little similar sentiment from the Chinese population.
