A Chinese general Saturday lashed out at “irresponsible comments” on Beijing’s military build-up in the South China Sea after the US defence chief accused China of intimidation and coercion in the disputed waters. “Any irresponsible comments from other countries cannot be accepted,” Lieutenant General He Lei said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Beijing has deployed a range of military hardware including anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jammers across the South China Sea, where it has built islets and other maritime features into hardened military facilities. READ ALSO: Whale dies after swallowing 80 plastic bagsChina has also landed heavy bombers on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. China claims most of the resource-rich sea, through which $5 trillion in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Source: Punch June 02, 2018 11:03 UTC