Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, speaks to the media on the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered super carrier, in the Pacific Ocean, south of Tokyo, Japan, November 24, 2015. REUTERS/TIM KELLY/FILES
Reuters: U.S. admiral warns against Chinese fighter flights from South China Sea runways
Any move by China to fly jet fighters from runways on its new man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea would be destablising and would not deter U.S. flights over the area, a senior U.S. naval officer said on Monday.
Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, also urged Beijing to be more open over its intentions in the South China Sea, saying it would relieve "some of the angst we are now seeing".
"We are unsure where they are taking us," Aucoin said of China's recent moves during briefing with journalists in Singapore.
"So we are going to sail, fly, operate throughout these waters....like we have been doing for so long," he said.
That, he added, included "flying over that airspace."
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Update: US wants China to clarify its S China Sea intentions (Today Online)
WNU Editor: China's possible use of fighter jets from these man-made islands is not the only thing on the U.S. Admiral's mind .... U.S. Concerned by China Using Non-Navy Boats in South China Sea (Bloomberg). As to the Chinese response to these warnings .... they are not listening.