China lashes out at US over South China Sea
Iran Press TV
Mon Aug 11, 2014 2:42PM GMT
China has accused the United States of deliberately stoking tensions in the strategically significant South China Sea.
'Some countries outside the region are restless, and stir up tensions," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in comments posted on the website of China's Foreign Ministry on Monday.
Wang further noted that Beijing is opposed to bossy gestures, an indirect reference to US Secretary of State John Kerry who arrived in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, on Saturday for the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum.
'The United States and ASEAN have a common responsibility to ensure the maritime security of critical sea, lands and ports,' Kerry claimed in the forum's opening comments.
Wang said, 'China and ASEAN are totally able to safeguard well the peace and stability of South China Sea."
The Chinese foreign minister further reiterated China's long-standing rejection of multilateral talks over the sea, saying that 'relevant disputes should be addressed by countries directly concerned.'
China and Vietnam are locked in a longstanding territorial dispute in the South China Sea over islands and waters claimed by both countries.
China claims sovereignty over almost the whole of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The waters are believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.
MP/AB/SS
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