US naval presence in South China Sea is foreign intrusion into region: Analyst

“The US intent has been to militarize it (South China Sea) by sending in its warships and projecting its power into waters claimed by China,” said Dennis Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

“China has no recourse but to respond. It is not China that set this process in motion, but the US poking China in its eye,” Etler told Press TV on Thursday.

“If the US stopped its bullying and intimidation of other countries it would not be necessary to divert scarce resources to create a deterrent to it,” he added. “If the US does not want the South China Sea to be militarized it should simply pack up its kitbag and go home.”

The US Defense Department said on Tuesday a recent Chinese missile test in the disputed South China Sea was “disturbing” and contrary to Beijing pledge that it would not militarize the disputed waterway.

News of the China missile test was first reported by NBC News.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said China tested multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles over the weekend.

The Chinese government has said that the military was carrying out drills between the Spratly and Paracel Islands starting last weekend and ending on Wednesday, warning other shipping not to enter a designated area.

China’s claims in the South China Sea are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The South China Sea is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which include a trade war, US sanctions and Taiwan.

“The US naval presence in the South China Sea can then only be seen as a foreign intrusion into the region and provocation against China,” Etler said.

“There should therefore be no reason for the US to send it warships through the South China Sea on so-called, Freedom of Navigation Exercises,” he noted. “China has never threatened freedom of navigation through the South China Sea.”