China Rails At ‘Hegemony’ As U.S. Vows To Continue Sea Patrols

Source: Washington Post

By Simon Denyer November 3 at 12:15 PM

BEIJING – China criticized U.S. “hegemony and hypocrisy” on Tuesday after a top U.S. admiral vowed to continue naval patrols in the South China Sea.

On a visit to China, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris Jr., defended last week’s decision to sail a U.S. naval destroyer close to a Chinese-occupied island in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, and reiterated that such patrols would continue — despite Beijing’s intense displeasure.

Harris, speaking at the Stanford Center at Peking University, tried to play down the dispute by stressing deepening cooperation between the two nation’s militaries, including joint participation in regional military exercises and a coordinated naval search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 last year.

“Some pundits predict a coming clash between our nations. I do not ascribe to this pessimistic view,” he said. “While we certainly disagree on some topics — the most public being China’s claims in the South China Sea and our activities there — there are many areas where we have common ground.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-rails-at-hegemony-as-us-vows-to-continue-sea-patrols/2015/11/03/d32eae0a-8236-11e5-8bd2-680fff868306_story.html