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Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Southeast Asia to cut ties with Chinese companies that help build islands in the South China Sea (LCS) on Thursday (9/9).
The momentum followed the US decision to blacklist 24 Chinese-owned companies. These companies are known for helping build the Beijing Army in the LCS.
Pompeo made the remarks at the ASEAN regional summit amid a heated relationship between the United States and China.
According to him, it is time for Southeast Asian governments to reconsider their relationship with China.
“Don’t just talk, act,” Pompeo told the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers during the ASEAN Summit online meeting. AFP.
“Reconsider trade deals with state-owned companies (China) that intimidate the ASEAN coastal states in the South China Sea. Do not allow the Chinese Communist Party to trample on us and our people,” he continued.
This year, the ASEAN summit takes place just days after Beijing launched a ballistic missile at the SCS. The launch was part of a live fire exercise.
Vietnam, which is chairing this year’s summit, expressed “serious concern” over the recent militarization of the SCS.
“This has eroded trust, increased tensions and undermined peace, security and the rule of law in the region,” said Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Last week, the Philippines said it would not follow in the footsteps of the United States because they needed investment from China. Even in the latest dispute over the Scarborough Shoal, talks between the two countries remain on hold.
Scarborough Shoal is one of the richest fishing grounds in the region.
As is known, Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Taiwan are fighting for the SCS area that China claims as its territory.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed the United States for the tensions in the SCS. He claimed that Washington was “the biggest driver” of militarization on the waterway.
There are also concerns that tensions between the United States and China will worsen over the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. The law was implemented in response to months of civil unrest in Hong Kong last year.
(years / evn)
[Gambas:Video CNN]
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