Senior official: US urged not to damage 'big picture' of ties

The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sails in the Pacific Ocean in a November 2009 photo provided by the US Navy. [Photo/Agencies]

Yi Xiaoguang, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, on Monday urged the US “not to do things that undermine the big picture of the China-US relationship” when he addressed the recent US navy entry into waters close to a Chinese island in the South China Sea.

Yi made the comment when answering a guest's question after he spoke at a dinner reception of the international conference “Understanding China” in Beijing.

When asked if the US takes similar action in future, Yi told China Daily that China ``will take all the necessary measures to champion national sovereignty."

China is dedicated to bilateral negotiations for the resolution of relevant disputes, and with the ASEAN countries is jointly championing the peace and stability of the South China, Yi said.

Ministry of National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement issued on Oct 27 that the USS Lassen illegally entered waters close to China's Zhubi Reef in the South China Sea earlier in the day, and Lanzhou missile destroyer and Taizhou cruiser of the PLA Navy sent warnings to the US ship.

The US military’s action has "led to the close distance contacts of the air force and navy from the two sides", and "such an action is very dangerous and could easily lead to unplanned incident," he said.

"...We expect the US side not to do things that undermine the big picture of the China-US relationship," Yi said.

About the future relationship between the two militaries, Yi suggested that they first "establish strategic mutual trust, boost understanding, and prevent misunderstanding and misjudgment".

He said the two militaries are expected to "respect each other's national sovereignty and security concerns" and "make a solemn commitment on not provoking or making trouble out of nothing".

In his speech, Yi stated that China is "dedicated to the peaceful settlement of disputes", and it upholds the idea of "managing and controlling divergences in a constructive manner, and converting points of contradictions into those of cooperation."