Xisha Islands in the South China Sea Photo: VCG

  

The US must reveal the truth and its intention behind the recent nuclear submarine collision incident in the South China Sea and give a due answer to countries in the region and the international community, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson at the ministry, said at Tuesday's regular press conference that China and other countries along the South China Sea have the reason to demand the US to answer the following questions: What was the mission of the nuclear submarine in the South China Sea? What exactly did it collide with? Why did that happen? Did a nuclear leak take place and bring nuclear pollution to the maritime environment?

The US must explain the incident in detail so as to respond to the concerns and questions of countries in the region and the international community, Zhao told the Global Times when asked about the collision.

The USS Connecticut, a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered submarine of the US Navy, collided with an "unknown object" while submerged in the South China Sea on October 2, leading to more than 10 sailors injured and causing a partial damage to the submarine, the US Navy announced on October 7.

However, more than three weeks have passed and the US has not released basic information on the incident, including the exact location where the collision happened and what object did the submarine hit.

The US' irresponsibility, secretive moves in the South China Sea have left countries in the region and the international community with no choice but to question the truth and its intention behind the incident, Zhao said.

The US has long been stirring up trouble in the South China Sea in the name of "freedom of navigation" posing serious threats and huge risks to regional peace and stability, Zhao said, noting that the South China Sea is the common homeland of countries in the region and should not become a hunting ground for the US to pursue its own geopolitical interests. 

The US frequently and on a large scale dispatches warships and warplanes to the South China Sea to make provocations, show off its military force, undermine the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and threaten the sovereignty and security of China and other countries, which makes the US the biggest driver of militarization in the region, Zhao said.

It should stop these wrong actions and play a positive role in the peace and stability of the South China Sea, Zhao said.

The Global Times on Tuesday launched an online petition, demanding the US military to reveal information on the collision.

Global Times