Chinese Army Warns of the Danger of ‘War on Our Doorstep’

China’s military warned on Aug. 1, which was Army Day, that “the situation surrounding our country is generally stable, but the risks and challenges are extremely severe, and the possibility of chaos and war on our doorstep has increased,” a front page editorial in the official Peoples Liberation Army Daily reported, according to a Reuters wire. The editorial explained that “the maritime security environment is more complicated, and the undercurrents in the East and South China Seas have been gushing up.”

Some among top U.S. military figures, such as Adm. Harry Harris, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, have been issuing bellicose accusations against China, and broadly suggesting that the U.S. could well sail its warships within 12 miles of the artificial islands China has constructed in the South China Sea. Congressional hardliners, led by the always unbalanced Sen. John McCain, are also gunning for a confrontation. McCain told Politico: “We continue to restrict our Navy from operating within a 12 nautical mile zone of China’s reclaimed islands, a dangerous mistake that grants de facto recognition of China’s man-made sovereignty claims.”