China has pushed back on U.S. pressure to curb its activity in the South China Sea, reiterating its sovereignty claims over most of the disputed waters and insisting it had “no fear of trouble”.
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Asia’s largest defence summit concluded on Sunday amid growing fears of a legal and military showdown in the South China Sea over China’s rapid construction of artificial islands with ports, airstrips and helipads in one of the world’s most bitterly contested waterways.
The South China Sea territorial dispute has spilled over into presidential campaigns in at least two countries. Experts say China more confidence to undermine any ruling of the arbitration court since the incoming government of the Philippines does not seem very interested in the case.
“China has said many times that freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is not in trouble at all”, said Yao, who is also a senior researcher at the PLA’s Academy of Military Science.
“The Scarborough Shoal is very different from other reefs in the Spratly chain … in part because it is so close to U.S. military bases in the Philippines”, Chang said.
With tensions in the South China Sea once again dominating a regional summit, China has accused the United States of “provocations” in the area for selfish interests – its latest salvo fired at Washington.
During a visit to Mongolia on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Beijing not to establish an air defense identification zone over the South China Sea, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013.
“To put it simply, the arbitration case actually has gone beyond the jurisdiction” of a United Nations arbitration panel, said Rear Adm. Guan Youfei, director of the foreign affairs office of China’s National Defense Ministry.
Zheng said that aside from the South China Sea issue, the dialogue would also cover other issues including “the interactive relationship between China and the U.S.in the Asia-Pacific region”, “the deepening of bilateral practical cooperation, the management of differences and sensitive issues”, and other global dilemmas the countries are faced with.
Mr Carter had pledged that the USA would be the security guarantor in Asia for decades to come.
“Confrontation between the United States and China will only be disastrous for the two countries and for the world”, he told reporters Thursday.
“Actually, I am anxious some people and countries are still holding a cold war mentality and prejudice … they may build a wall in their mind and end up isolating themselves”. “Unfortunately, if these actions continue, China could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation”, Carter added. The ruling is expected within weeks.
“The bottom line is this: we want to co-operate where we can, but we just have to be ready as a military to confront them if we must”, he said.
Further US actions in the region “will give Beijing a good opportunity to declare an ADIZ in the South China Sea”, a Chinese army source told the South China Morning Post newspaper last week.
In his speech, Sun said “any countries not directly concerned are not allowed to sabotage our path of peace for selfish gains”. Strategic and Economic Dialogue set on Monday.
He urged Beijing to abide by global law and respect the outcome of The Hague arbitration case, which was filed by the Philippines in 2013 in an effort to curtail China’s territorial assertions in the South China Sea.
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Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. “I’ve always believed that shaking hands is better than clenching fists”.
