China is reportedly not afraid to fight a war with the US after South China Sea move

China is not afraid of fighting a war with the US in the South China Sea, a newspaper with close links to the government said on Wednesday, after Washington sent a warship near artificial islands built by Beijing.The furious response from official media erupted as the US vowed to send more vessels to the region after the USS Lassen guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the disputed land formations.The move sparked an angry rebuke from Beijing, which summoned the US ambassador and denounced the move as an illegal threat to its sovereignty.In face of the US harassment, Beijing should deal with Washington tactfully and prepare for the worst, the fiercely nationalist Global Times said in its editorial.This can convince the White House that China, despite its unwillingness, is not afraid to fight a war with the US in the region, and is determined to safeguard its national interests and dignity.The newspaper did, however, call for restraint as it kept to a common theme across Chinese media that Beijing occupies the moral high ground in not being provoked by the actions of the US.The Pentagon is obviously provoking China. It is time to test the wisdom and determination of the Chinese people, the newspaper said. We should stay calm. If we feel disgraced and utter some furious words, it will only make the US achieve its goal of irritating us.The China Daily said the US was making trouble out of nothing and accused Washington of double standards in accusing China of militarising the South China Sea.The US warship displays exactly who is the real hand pushing the militarisation of the South China Sea, its editorial said.The Peoples Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of the army, said the US was aiming to sow discord in the region, as it had done in the Middle East.The US claims time and time again that they will take responsibly for its allies, said the front-page editorial under the headline: Who cannot stand a tranquil South China Sea'However, its actionsworsen the regional security environment and damage regional and national interests, exposing its unreasonable, overbearing and rude side.Despite the media furore, the Chinese governments response has been confined to strongly-worded statements rather than any firm action in the South China Sea.Beijings unwillingness to confront the US with force has been a source of frustration for many on Chinas social media networks.They walked around our house, and all we could do was shout through the window, one netizen bemoaned on Sina Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter.It is a joke that we can only try to stop the US from harming Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea only with a warning, another said.Another angry web-user posted a message addressed to the US Embassy in Beijing which called on Washington to Get out of the South China Sea!.You messed up in Iraq and Syria, the post said, Now what do you want to do in our waters' Do you want to be the one who stirs up the third world war'Additional reporting by Ailin TangSEE ALSO:The US just called China out on a huge bluffJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: This 580-ton monster machine is building bridges across China
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