Pentagon Calls China’s South Sea Missile Test ‘Truly Disturbing’
- Anti-ship missiles fired into sea near Spratlys, NBC reports
- Incident shows strategic tensions persist despite trade truce
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The U.S. denounced as “coercive acts” Chinese anti-ship missile tests in the disputed South China Sea, underscoring continued strategic tensions between the two Pacific powers even as they restart trade talks.
China fired at least one missile into the sea over the weekend and was expected to continue testing through a launch window that continued until Wednesday, NBC News reported Tuesday, citing anonymous U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said the tests near the Spratly Islands represented a “truly disturbing” violation of President Xi Jinping’s 2015 statement that China “does not intend to pursue militarization” in the water body.