Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the Congress’s General Assembly

At a March 4 news conference before the opening of the Chinese National People's Congress annual session, Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the Congress’s General Assembly, noted that "most advanced warships and planes appearing in the South China Sea are from the United States." Fu specifically noted the United States sending of warships to waters near the Nansha Islands, a show of force that she said generated intense resentment among the Chinese people.

Fu stressed that it is the United States – not China, is militarizing the South China Sea, and that this large-scale U.S. military escalation in the region and patrols near Chinese-held islands in the South China Sea were raising tensions. US officials have accused China of militarizing the region through massive land reclamation work on islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Her remarks were made in response to a question from CBS reporters on "the militarization of South China Sea". Fu suggested that U.S. use of the term “militarization" is a kind of spin, reflecting American “linguistic hegemony”. “The US has made it clear that it will deploy 60 percent of its navy to the Asia-Pacific region under its strategy of pivoting to Asia. The US has stepped up military moves with its alliances and its military presence in the Asia -Pacific region. Isn’t this militarization?”

According to The Washington Post website on March 3, the U.S. Navy has in recent days dispatched the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and several accompanying ships to the South China Sea. If the report is true, it will be a new example of the strengthening of American military presence in the South China Sea. Last October 27, the U.S. destroyer USS Lassen entered waters within 12 nautical miles of Zhubi Reef without the permission of the Chinese government, while the missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur entered waters near China's Xisha Island on January 30.

The South China Sea was a key issue during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the U.S. at the end of February. Minister Wang and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed at the meeting that all disputes should be addressed peacefully and through negotiation. The two sides also agreed to carry out further communication on maritime issues, to increase mutual understanding, and to prevent and avoid miscommunication. Wang Yi told reporters at the time, " Demilitarization of Nansha is not a matter for any specific party. It requires all the parties to work together. We hope there will be fewer cases of provocative close-in surveillance, and less showing off of advanced weapons in the future."

At the press conference, Fu Ying also noted that if the United States truly cares about regional peace and stability, it should support direct negotiations between China and its neighboring countries to resolve disputes, rather than taking actions that make such resolution less likely. “By acting in such a manner, the United States seems to have other purposes other than promoting peace."