China has repeatedly blamed the United States for stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually.
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The meeting comes a week after the worldwide Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea.
“Emanating from its commitment to the global charters and keenness to stand by the side of its friends, Syria stresses its backing to China in supporting its sovereignty in the South China Sea”, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, China’s highest-ranking officer, Gen. Fan Changlong, is making an inspection visit to the Southern Theater Command, which includes the South China Sea.
China has rejected the ruling and vowed to continue to develop the islands.
“The U.S. Navy will continue to conduct routine and lawful operations around the world, including in the South China Sea, in order to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of sea and airspace guaranteed to all”, he said. Five other states-Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam-also claim those features, and China’s nine-dash line impinges on the exclusive economic zone of a sixth, Indonesia.
As this year marks the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, Zhao stressed that disputes in the South China Sea are a problem that exists between China and some ASEAN member states, not all of them.
Analysts say the ruling has sparked an outburst of nationalism among Chinese.
ENERGY FOR A FIGHT The South China Sea is thought to hold significant oil and gas deposits, raising the stakes in regional rivalries. The court’s ruling has not only enraged the Chinese government but also some citizens. Declaring an ADIZ, which the USA would certainly ignore, would dramatically increase the likelihood of military incidents, with wholly unforeseeable consequences. With its Seventh Fleet long deployed in Asia and having to play an important role in reassuring its allies about freedom of navigation in the region, Washington will be confronted by some very hard decisions about how far it wants to go in confronting a potentially aggrieved and even more aggressive China. -China military-to-military exchanges have steadily gained pace in recent years.
Despite Duterte’s muted response, China has refused to compromise – insisting that any talks must exclude mention of the tribunal’s verdict. It arrested anti-China protesters in Hanoi on July 17 and seemingly took care not to appear triumphalist.
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The July 12 ruling on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines is on shaky legal ground and will not go anywhere, said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore.
