CHINA-US: US FONOPS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
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Wu Shicun, head of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan on March 29, that the US would step up what it called freedom of navigation operations in the area with more frequent and wider-ranging manoeuvres this year. He said "Tension in the South China Sea will rise in the coming year so we must deploy some defensive facilities that are able to overcome American warships entering nearby waters." Wu Shichun said "The Americans would have to think twice before going too far, that we might take counteraction that could threaten their vessels." Also at the Boao Forum, Senior Colonel Zhou Bo expressed concern that the existing emergency mechanism between the Chinese and US Navies was inadequate for managing any mishaps during more freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.
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