USA cancels China invite for naval exercises

Photo: Flickr.com/Loco Steve
Photo: Flickr.com/Loco Steve – Fiery Cross Reef

The United States has rescinded an invitation to China to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise.

The move is in response to Beijing’s continued militarisation of disputed islands in the South China Sea.

A Pentagon spokesman described China’s behaviour as, “inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise”, and called for China to remove the, “military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarisation of disputed South China Sea features.”