China's foreign ministry has responded to US questioning of its decision to send a military aircraft to the disputed Nansha Islands for evacuation purposes. A Chinese military plane landed on Yongshu Jiao on Sunday, in order to air lift three seriously ill workers to Hainan island for treatment. A ministry spokesperson said dispatching military aircraft to provide humanitarian aid is common international practice.

"It is a military duty and people's expectations that China's military aircraft and soldiers appear wherever they are needed in time on Chinese territory. Following the logic of the spokesperson of the US Defense Department, since the US military has claimed that they will maintain the freedom of navigation in the south China sea, why does America use military warships instead of civilian ships and planes to declare the freedom? We urge the US to abide by promises, match words with deeds,  and to maintain peace and stability in the south China sea through action," said Hua Chunying, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry.