Chinese Defense Minister Li Defends Country's Response, Tells Foreign Militaries to Mind Their Own Business

China's Defense Minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, warned foreign powers not to operate warships and aircraft close to its territorial waters and blamed Washington for recent provocative encounters between US and Chinese units. Li said other nations used the freedom of navigation and innocent passage as a pretext to exercise hegemony of navigation. The US and its allies send warships and aircraft on freedom of navigation operations which test what Washington considers excessive territorial claims. Beijing has routinely called US FONOps in the South China Sea destabilizing and provocative.