Beijing: China on Wednesday fired two missiles including an aircraft-carrier killer into the South China Sea as an act of warning to the United States after a US spy plane allegedly intruded into its army's no-fly airspace, a source close to the Chinese military told the South China Morning Post.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Defence Ministry had alleged that a US Air Force RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft flew across the South China Sea during the Chinese military drill entered restricted airspace.
"This is China's response to the potential risks brought by the increasingly frequent incoming US warplanes and military vessels in the South China Sea," the source was quoted as saying. "China doesn't want the neighbouring countries to misunderstand Beijing's goals."
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South China Morning Post reported that one of the missiles, a DF-26B, was launched from the northwestern province of Qinghai, while the other, a DF-21D, lifted off from Zhejiang province in the east. Both were fired into an area between Hainan province and the Paracel Islands, the source said.
The Trump administration said Wednesday it is imposing sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for Beijing’s military build-up in the South China Sea. The move is the latest salvo in the US pressure campaign against China that has picked up steam ahead of November’s presidential election over a variety of contentious issues.
The State Department announced it had hit an unspecified number of Chinese officials and business executives responsible for the militarization of disputed South China Sea areas with travel bans. Immediate family members of those targeted may also be barred from travel to the United States, the department said.
(ANI)
