In Vice Admiral Harry Harris Jr’s (Commander, United States Pacific Command) testimony before Congress regarding needed Navy funding, he said among other things that the PRC’s terraforming islands in the Spratly and Paracel island groups and their building runways and radar installations on them followed by deploying fighter aircraft to them amounted to militarization of a region that’s key to ship-borne trade.
That got the PRC’s knickers twisted. Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian fretted
I have noted that according to media reports, Adm. Harris made his remarks while seeking additional defense budget funds from Congress.
We don’t interfere in your seeking defense budget funds, but you can’t carelessly smear China while asking for more money.
What smear? The truth is never a smear.