China said Friday that the buildup of U.S. naval activities near its coast could end up in more unwanted "close encounters."
The country's defense ministry said the U.S.'s ramped up reconnaissance activities in the disputed waters are "destabilizing" the region.
Chinese defense ministry representative, Wu Qian, said U.S. activities near its waters have increased by more than 20% for warships and 40% for warplanes this year compared with the same period last year.
Wu said the increased U.S. presence in its claimed waters in recent months had led to a close encounter between the two countries' warships. Wu said the U.S.'s guided-missile destroyer, the USS Mustin, sailed too close to its Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group in early April.
The USS Mustin had to be warned away as it was conducting "close-up reconnaissance," Wu said.
The U.S. Navy confirmed the encounter and released pictures of senior U.S. navy officers gazing at the Chinese warships. They were reportedly shadowing the Liaoning battle group at a close distance as it was sailing through the contested waters.
The close encounter occurred as tensions between China and the Philippines had escalated over the presence of a flotilla of Chinese fishing vessels near the contested Whitsun Reef in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines government said the vessels, which it said were manned by Chinese military personnel, were parked within its exclusive economic zone.
Wu said the U.S.'s increased activities in the South China Sea are seriously interfering with its "training activities" in the area. The officials said the increased presence of U.S. warships is "threatening the navigation safety and safety of personnel on both sides."
China's complaint against the U.S. comes just days after Biden directly targeted the Chinese government during his first speech to a joint session of Congress.
During his speech, Biden reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to "maintain a strong military presence" in the Indo-Pacific region. Biden said the aim of the Navy's presence in the region is "not to start conflict, but to prevent one."
Chinese foreign ministry representative, Wang Wenbin, rejected Biden's claims that China poses any threat to the U.S. Wenbin said the U.S. was to blame for the tensions after it imposed restrictions on other country's tech companies to maintain its monopoly.
