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MADE BY CHINA This aerial photograph from 2017 shows China transforming the reefs claimed by the Philippines at Spratlys into island fortresses.
China has accused US national security adviser Robert O’Brien of “sowing discord” between China and the Philippines for his comments that “deliberately exaggerated regional tensions” during his visit to Manila on Monday.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila called O’Brien’s remarks on issues related to the South China Sea (SCS), Hong Kong and Taiwan as “unreasonable”.
“He blatantly accused China for no reason, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, deliberately exaggerated regional tensions, and attempted to sow discord between China and the Philippines,” the embassy said in a statement Monday night.
“We strongly oppose these comments that are full of Cold War mentality and incite senseless confrontation. It shows that his visit to this region is not to promote regional peace and stability, but to create chaos in the region to pursue selfish interests of the United States, “he added.
O’Brien, during his speech at the Department of Foreign Relations on Monday, reiterated United States support for the Philippines’ fight for control of the Western Philippine Sea by witnessing Washington’s donation of military equipment worth 18 million dollars (about P868 million) to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“We support the Philippines in protecting its sovereign rights, its resources on the high seas and all the rights that are included in international law,” O’Brien said.
“I just want to say that those resources belong to the children and grandchildren of the people here. They belong to the [Filipino] people. They do not belong to any other country that, simply because they are bigger than the Philippines, can take and convert the resources of the Filipino people. That’s wrong, ”he added.
The Philippines sealed a historic victory against China before the United Nations-backed arbitration tribunal in The Hague in July 2016, invalidating Beijing’s extensive claims over almost the entire South China Sea.
The ruling recognized the sovereign rights of the Philippines in areas within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
In the statement, the Chinese embassy called the United States allegedly interfering in efforts by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to “peacefully negotiate and manage disputes and seriously undermine regional peace and stability.”
The embassy also noted that the United States is not a party to the SCS disputes as it has refused to adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
He added that the United States “frequently sends warships and planes to the SCS on numerous occasions for military provocations” and “even goes so far as to use the electronic codes of civil aviation planes from the Philippines and other countries in the region to carry out espionage flights in the SCS “.
The embassy also accused the United States of being the “biggest driver of the militarization of the SCS” and “the most dangerous external factor that endangers peace and stability” in the disputed waters.
The US embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to the charge. China also insisted that the situation in the South China Sea “remains stable and is improving.”
China also urged the United States to “respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the SCS.”
China’s claim on 90 percent of the South China Sea includes areas claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. In 2016, an international court ruled that China’s extensive claim, based on its historical maps, is incompatible with international law.With a Reuters report
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