ROK, U.S. begin joint navy drills
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China Concerned Over War Games At Doorstep
Besides the current phase of war games that is running through Wednesday, the United States and South Korea also plan to stage rounds of naval and air drills in both the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the following months.
China expressed its opposition to U.S.-South Korean military drills at the Yellow Sea, which is a sea stripe between China and the Korean Peninsula, and expressed "deep concern" over the war games starting on Sunday.
"We sternly oppose activities that affect China's security by foreign military vessels or aircraft at the Yellow Sea or in China's offshore waters," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Wednesday in a statement.
"We urge relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint and not do anything to exacerbate regional tensions," he said.
Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, expressed objection to the joint drills in early July.
Military experts say China has every reason to oppose any military drills at the Yellow Sea, citing obvious threat to China's security and the volatile situation on the Korean Peninsula.
At the Southeast Asian security forum in Hanoi, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi proposed to adopt a new security concept by seeking cooperation instead confrontation, and by respecting and taking care of each other's core interests and security concerns.
"Countries should exercise restraint when disputes arise and settle disputes through peaceful means... make use of multilateral mechanisms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN regional forum and six-party talks to promote common interest and common security," he said.
