Chinese general warns Mattis against making ‘irresponsible claims & interfering in internal affairs’

A Chinese general has defended South China Sea deployments and policy, slamming “irresponsible” comments and interference in internal affairs by US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who accused Beijing of intimidating its neighbors.

“Any irresponsible comments from other countries cannot be accepted,”Lieutenant General He Lei said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, after Mattis promised to “vigorously” compete and confront Beijing’s growing influence in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

“We see any other country that tries to make noise about this as interfering in our internal affairs,” General He added.

The US has, for years, agitated China by claiming a “freedom of navigation,”sailing its warships and conducting flights near the disputed areas of the South China Sea. To reinforce its territorial claims, Beijing has been building artificial islands and deploying military infrastructure on the Paracels, as well as on the Spratly Islands.