“We will take any measures necessary to safeguard our security.â€
Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said China would “resolutely respond†to any deliberate provocations but declined to be drawn on any potential military response.
“I advise the US not to make a fool out of themselves in trying to be smart,†Lu said.
But despite the angry rhetoric coming out of Beijing, experts say China’s response has been relatively muted.
USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters
“It seems like China’s reaction – at least initially – has been to respond in a restrained, operational way. The Chinese have absolutely no interest in sparking a tactical crisis or any kind of confrontation with the Americans,†said Ashley Townshend, a South China Sea expert from the University of Sydney’s United States studies centre.
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