"Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and conducted routine training in the vicinity of the South China Sea March 13, 2019 (HST), before returning to base", the statement said Wednesday, quoted by the Diplomat. Wednesday’s mission followed the dispatch of two B-52 bombers over the East and South China Seas on 4 March.
READ MORE: US Army Hints at 1,000-Mile Range Supergun That Could Be Used in South China Sea
The South China Sea is one of the thorns in the side of US-China relations, with the United States criticizing Beijing for moving weapons to the Spratly archipelago, something that China qualifies as interference in its internal affairs.
The South China Sea and the East China Sea are also sources of tension for China and its neighbors, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, as the countries continue to argue over the waters' maritime borders. China considers the Spratly archipelago, a group of artificial islands located in the South China Sea, as its territory, despite an international tribunal ruling that these claims had no legal basis.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Wednesday that the behavior of some faraway countries that undermine the situation in the South China Sea was irresponsible.
READ MORE: 'That's Reality': Duterte Tells US South China Sea is Now in 'Beijing's Hands'
