Beijing accuses US of undermining South China Sea peace after plane and helicopter crashes
Beijing criticises US efforts to ‘show off military power’ after a helicopter and fighter from the USS Nimitz crash on the same day
At a regular press conference on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that if Washington asked, Beijing was “willing to provide assistance to the US from a humanitarian perspective”.
But he added: “The US frequently dispatches warships and aircraft to the South China Sea to show off its military power, which is the root cause of maritime security issues and undermines regional peace and stability.”
A Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, went down while conducting routine operations from the USS Nimitz on Sunday, the US Pacific Fleet said.
Half an hour later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 22, operating from the same carrier, also crashed.
The US Navy did not give the location of the crashes.