China dismisses recent tension in South China Sea as "oldtricks"

(Xinhua) 13:01, May 26, 2015

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BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun on Tuesdaylabeled recent incidents in the South China Seaas "old tricks" used to stir tensions andsmear the reputation of Chinese armed forces.

The Navy has had to deal with the reconnaissance operations of U.S. warships and aircraftin Chinese territory around the South China Sea for a long time, said Yang at a pressconference today.

"Our responses are always necessary, legal and professional," he said.

Yang posited that recent developments may have been given a lot of attention becausecertain country had intensified reconnaissance operations near Chinese waters or certainparties were intentionally drawing attention to the issue.

The purpose of this coverage, Yang said, was to discredit the Navy and play up regionaltensions.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that a certain country is looking for an excuse tosupport future operations," he said. "This is not something new. It is an old trick."

He urged all parties to look at the current situation with clear eyes.

Stressing that the China-U.S. relationship generally favorable, Yang said the armed forcesof the two countries had a common understanding of relations.

As for the disputes between the two sides, China expects the U.S. to respect its coreinterests and major concerns and hoped that the two sides would work together to improvemutual trust and manage disputes, he said.

"It must be noted that China is working toward establishing positive interactions with theU.S. in the Asia-Pacific region and hopes that other countries in the region will jointlysafeguard peace, security and stability," he said.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Editor:Zhang Yuan,Bianji)

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