China's military 'will not dance to US' tune' (2)

"If the relevant parties still insist on having their own way, then China will take measures in retaliation," he said.

Regarding US interaction with Taiwan, Wu said the island is an inseparable part of China, and the Chinese military opposes any form of secession efforts, as well as the US having formal or military dealings with Taiwan.

This month, the US made a $62 billion 10-year arms deal with Taiwan, which included selling the island 66 F-16V fighter jets."US arms deals with Taiwan have always been a major undermining factor in China-US relations and regional stability," Wu said.

Referring to the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command's recently conducted real combat drills in the Taiwan Straits, Wu said, "The objective is to target foreign interference, as well as a small group of Taiwan separatists and their actions."

If the US continues with the arms deal, China will take "every measure necessary" to retaliate. "We will adamantly protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits."

Military exercises

According to local maritime safety administrations, China is holding naval drills in all four of its major adjacent waters-the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea. Since late July, the Chinese military has conducted 22 drills in these waters.

Wu said China also recently held military drills in the waters and airspace around the Nansha and Xisha islands in the South China Sea, as well as in waters off Qingdao, Shandong province, and Lyushun, Liaoning province.

"These exercises are in this year's training plan and do not target any country," he said.

The South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Chinese nonprofit research institution, said a US RC-135S intelligence aircraft entered the area of the South China Sea on Wednesday morning via the southeastern waters of Hainan province, where the Chinese military is holding a drill nearby.

On Tuesday, a Lockheed U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft trespassed into the no-fly zone of a live fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the US military will likely continue its provocative intelligence gathering missions against China's naval exercises, so China will need to draft proper response protocols and mitigate risks.

"The China hawks in the US government are baiting China to fire the first shot and cause an accident, so that the Trump administration could distract the public from its failures," he said.

"We cannot play into their hands, and we must respond to their provocations with calm and prudence," he said."Meanwhile, we must seek dialogue with the US when the opportunity arises. Conversation is still better than confrontation. Only through high-level exchanges can we reduce our misunderstandings."