Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed that under the cover of “extraterritorial immunity”, Washington acts recklessly “despite proclaiming itself as the defender of regional peace and stability”.

Likewise, the spokesman recalled that according to Okinawa prefectural government statistics, until the end of 2020 U.S. forces stationed there were linked to more than six thousand cases of criminal offenses and about 800 flight accidents.

“The Osprey transport plane, which crashed this time, has been involved in several serious accidents in the past, resulting in injuries or missing persons,” he said.

The spokesman urged the U.S. side to take a serious and responsible attitude, address the concerns of the local population, conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the incident and contribute to peace and tranquility in the region.

The Osprey CV-22 crashed last Wednesday near Yakushima Island during a training mission with eight U.S. military personnel on board.

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