“The USA conduct does not contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea whatsoever”, he said, “The US can not impose its own claims on other nations”.
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Ongoing tensions over the South China Sea heightened over the weekend, with China reacting angrily to the latest indications of growing U.S.- Japanese co-operation over the disputed sea.
The US has previously questioned China’s use of its manmade islands, arguing that they are meant to bolster China’s military presence in the important trade region.
Just as Obama called on China to cease further land reclamation and new construction in the waters of contention, Xi refrained from making a single public comment on the territorial discord instigated by his country’s dredging projects in the South China Sea.
However, Abe said: “We share deep concerns over unilateral actions to change the status quo such as the large-scale land reclamation and building of outposts in the South China Sea”.
Beijing Times quoted Swift as saying the South China Sea issue should not affect bilateral relations, but did not include Swift’s replies to Wu’s admonishments.
The next Navy operation in the sea will take place in several weeks near Mischief Reef in the Spratly island chain that is claimed by China, Philippines and other regional states, said officials familiar with the upcoming operation.
The summit is an annual meeting between the regional bloc and China to allow the two parties to deepen relationships and discuss cooperation at a high level.
Japan has been vocal in its opposition to China’s large-scale reclamation works on reefs in the contested South China Sea and support for the Philippines’ pending arbitration case at the United Nations arbitral tribunal challenging China’s nine-dash claims.
Tokyo and Washington also attach importance to improving the surveillance capabilities of ASEAN members that possess equipment markedly inferior to that of China. Prime Minister Li Keqiang has yet to comment on the issue. China has said it has “no intention to militarise” those islands, despite the construction of buildings on them.
In a separate meeting also on the Apec sidelines, US President Barack Obama assured Aquino of continued and increased assistance for the Philippine military, considered one of the region’s ill-equipped, highlighted by a $79 million allocation for 2016. This has effectively rewritten the treaty and put China at odds with its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam, which assert similar claims. He will attend a town hall meeting later Friday before holding bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Reacting to Abe, Wong Hei, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said, “China will be vigilant against Japan’s interference in the South China Sea issue, its military return to the South China Sea in particular”.
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Still, the stand-off, which saw a United States warship sailing close to an artificial Chinese island in disputed waters last month, is less gloomy than it seems, Mr Ong said.
