China calls US withdrawal of drills invite 'unconstructive'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands following a news conference at the State Department, Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

BEIJING (AP) — China's Defense Ministry is criticizing Washington's withdrawal of an invitation for it to participate in a multinational naval exercise the U.S. is hosting this summer as "unconstructive."

A statement on the ministry's website Thursday says the move would do nothing to alter China's "will play a role in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region."

Wednesday's announcement by the Pentagon is a sign of fresh tensions between the two militaries.

The U.S. had included China in the past two versions of the naval exercise known as Rim of the Pacific, or RimPac, in 2014 and 2016.

A Pentagon statement says the decision to disinvite the Chinese navy was "an initial response" to what it called China's militarization of the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.

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