Beijing urges US to exercise caution when dealing with South China Sea issue
United States is not claimant in disputes in the region, foreign ministry spokeswoman says
Beijing yesterday called on Washington to be “cautious in its words and actions” when commenting on South China Sea disputes after the White House said the United States would protect its interests in international waters in the area.
“The US is not a claimant in the related disputes in the South China Sea,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. “We urge the US side to respect the reality, to be cautious in what it says and does, so as to avoid harming the peace and stability of the region,” she said.
Hua said China insisted on solving disputes between the claimants directly involved.
Her comments came after White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the US would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea. Spicer said “the US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there” when asked about US President Donald Trump’s position on the issue.
“It’s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,” he said.
