China / Diplomacy
South China Sea: Chinese military told not to fire first shot in stand-off with US forces
Sources say that troops have been given orders not to escalate situation as both sides step up their activities in the disputed waters
Beijing said to be keen to cool the ‘tense and dangerous situation’ and agreed to a conversation between defence ministers after initially snubbing the request
Published: 10:30pm, 11 Aug, 2020
Updated: 12:48am, 12 Aug, 2020
China has told its service personnel “not to fire the first shot†as Beijing looks to de-escalate tensions with the United States in the South China Sea, sources familiar with the situation told the South China Morning Post.
Both sides have stepped up their operations in the disputed waters, increasing the risk of incidents that spiral out of control, but Beijing does not want to give American hawks the opportunity to escalate things further.
The sources said Beijing had ordered pilots and naval officers to exercise restraint in the increasingly frequent stand-offs with US planes and warships.
https://www.scmp.com/print/news/china/diplomacy/article/3096978/south-china-sea-chinese-military-told-not-fire-first-shot
