China calls on S. Korea, U.S. not to raise tension with large-scale naval drills

South Korea and the U.S. should remain calm and self-controlled and not raise unnecessary tension in the region, China's defense ministry said on Monday of the recent large-scale naval drills by the two allies.

The official comment, released on its account of the social media service Weibo, came as a response to a question from a reporter about the Chinese government's stance on the joint drills that involved the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in the waters near China.

The carrier was deployed on the Korean Peninsula during Oct. 10-15 to join the exercise aimed at showing the allied forces' strong commitment to counter increasing provocations by North Korea, such as nuclear tests, and improve their maritime interoperability.

China, which doesn't want a stronger U.S. influence on the peninsula, argues the show of strengthened military coalition between South Korea and the U.S. isn't helpful in bringing peace and stability but will instead ratchet up the already-heightened tension. For its part, China has recently launched naval drills more often in its waters. (Yonhap)