China Warns India, US on Regional Conflict
There is no need for India and the United States to have concerns on navigation and over flight over the disputed South China Sea, says China. "The situation in the South China Sea was stable and that there was no problem with freedom of navigation in the area," China said.
China's reaction came a day after India and USA issued a first ever "joint strategic vision" for the Asia-Pacific. The joint vision issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama did not directly refer to China, but made a clear reference to regional concerns over the South China Sea, which is contested by China and more than half a dozen Southeast Asian countries.
The Chinese state-run media warning that India must not fall into the trap of the US that wants to “contain” China. Seemingly rattled at President Barack Obama’s visit, China said it is ready to make concerted efforts with India to lift their bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level.
The reaction from the Chinese media was sharp while the foreign ministry was more guarded. India and China must not fall into the trap of rivalry set by the West to support the US’ “pivot to Asia” strategy, mainly devised to counter China’s rise, state-run media reports said in Beijing.
On India-US expressing concerns over the South China Sea dispute, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China believes that the disputes should be settled among parties concerned through peaceful talks and consultations.
“We always assert that disputes about the South China Sea should be solved by countries directly involved through peaceful means,” Hua said.
China claims almost the entire Sea, including several parts administered by its South-East Asian neighbours. China last year increased its activities in the disputed areas, including deploying mobile oil rigs near an island claimed by Vietnam, and sending fishing boats into Philippine waters.
India has not asserted its own claims over the Sea, but senior Indian officials have taken a stance on the dispute. Shri Anil Wadhwa, Secretary of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said last year that the sea, “according to UN (United Nations) international law of the Sea, is common to all the countries that use it. … Our position has always been India stands for freedom of navigation on high seas.”
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was reported as having told Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif that Pakistan was China's "irreplaceable all-weather friend" and that they shared "common destiny".
Meanwhile, the US today dismissed China's concerns over growing Indo-US ties, arguing that the relationship is not aimed at "containing" or "holding China down".
