South China Sea : Military ready to respond to any provocation - China.org.cn

The Chinese military is sufficiently prepared to handle any foreign provocation or emergency during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.

In the middle of this month, the United States Navy announced that the nuclear submarine USS Nevada had recently arrived at the U.S. naval base in Guam, making it the second announced visit of a ballistic missile submarine to the island since the 1980s.

Several of the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier battle groups have also recently conducted military drills around China, prompting analysts to speculate that the U.S. may also hold joint exercises with its allies in the region during the Games.

In response to the recent military drills, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a ministry spokesman, told a news briefing that the Chinese military is sufficiently prepared to handle any foreign provocation or emergency.

Commenting on a recent admission by a high-ranking U.S. naval official that the missile destroyer USS Mustin's close reconnaissance of China's aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning last year was intentional, Wu said such action was unsurprising.

In April, the U.S. naval vessel tracked the Chinese aircraft carrier in the South China Sea and took photos of their close encounter, prompting Chinese naval vessels to warn and repel the U.S. ship, the Ministry of National Defense said.

"What is surprising, however, is that the U.S. not only felt no shame at such military provocation, but was actually proud of its action," Wu said.

The U.S. and Japan are also planning deeper involvement in the Taiwan question, which Wu called a "dangerous move".