Video shows China warning US reconnaissance flight
The US Defense Department has shown a video in which China warns a US reconnaissance aircraft operating in the South China Sea.
The footage released on Thursday was taken by a US Navy P8 reconnaissance plane that operates from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
The video shows China's construction of an airstrip on reclaimed land around reefs in the Spratly Islands. China is involved in a sovereignty dispute over these islands with several parties.
The video also shows transcriptions of radio transmissions in which the Chinese navy told the aircraft it was approaching China's military zone, and asked it to leave the area immediately.
The aircraft responded that it was operating in international airspace according to international law.
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel told a news conference on Thursday that the flight of a US reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea is a regular and appropriate occurrence. He said the US will seek to preserve the ability of all countries to exercise their right to freedom of navigation. He added that nobody will stop the US Navy from operating.
US Defense Department spokesperson Steve Warren commented on the possibility of sending military vessels to waters that China claims to be its territory -- an area within a radius of about 22 kilometers from the reclaimed island.
Warren said this could be the next step, but nothing has been decided.