South China Sea conflict: China’s search for resources is ‘illegal’, says United States

China’s search for resources on the high seas in parts of the South China Sea is “completely illegal,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo said he wanted to make it clear that Beijing’s “intimidation campaign to control” the disputed waters was wrong.

China said the United States “deliberately distorts facts and international law.”

China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Countries have disputed territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years.

Beijing claims an area known as the “nine line” and has backed its claim with the construction of islands and patrols, expanding its military presence there.

• Why is the South China Sea controversial?

Although largely uninhabited, two island chains in the area may have natural resource reserves around them. The sea is also a shipping route and has important fishing grounds.

What did Mister Pompeo say?

In a statement Monday, Pompeo denounced China’s claims to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, saying that Beijing “had no legal basis to unilaterally impose its will on the region.”

He said the United States, which previously said it does not take sides in territorial disputes, rejected Beijing’s claims about the waters of Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

“Any [People’s Republic of China] the act of harassing the fishing or the development of hydrocarbons from other states in these waters, or carrying out such activities unilaterally, is illegal, “he said.

“The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire.”

How did China respond?

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Chinese embassy in Washington DC said the US state department “deliberately distorts facts and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

He said the United States “exaggerates the situation in the region and tries to sow discord between China and other coastal countries.

“The accusation is completely unjustified. The Chinese side strongly opposes it.”

Significant risks with apparently insignificant islands

Zhaoyin Feng, BBC Chinese, Washington DC

Until now, the United States has not taken sides in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Four years after an international tribunal in The Hague ruled that China’s claims in the region have no legal basis, the United States has made its position officially clear for the first time. But why now?

Last week, China and the United States conducted naval exercises in the area at the same time, a rare phenomenon indicating mounting tensions.

In the broader context, the Trump administration has pledged to overturn what it says are 40 years of political failure regarding China. Washington has recently criticized Beijing for issues ranging from managing the coronavirus pandemic to human rights violations against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and how it has dealt with pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

But it was China’s land reclamation projects in the South China Sea that prompted the rest of the world to reevaluate Beijing’s international ambitions.

And what is at stake in the region is incredibly high. In these seemingly insignificant island and reef chains, there are increasing risks of military conflict between the two most powerful countries in the world.

Pompeo said the United States supported “with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to extraterritorial resources,” adding that this position was “consistent with its rights and obligations under international law.”

What is behind the South China Sea dispute?

The sea, home to vital shipping lanes, has become a critical point in recent years for tensions between China and other nations claiming sovereignty over two largely uninhabited island chains, the Paracels and Spratlys.

China claims most of the territory, saying that its rights go back centuries. The area is rich for fishing and is believed to have abundant oil and gas reserves.

The United States has long criticized what it says is China’s militarization of the region and routinely infuriates Beijing with “freedom of navigation” missions.

In August 2018, a BBC team flew over the disputed islands in the South China Sea in a U.S. military plane. In a radio communication, the pilots were warned to leave the area “immediately” to “avoid any misunderstanding.”

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Months earlier, China launched bombers into the disputed territory to participate in drills on islands and reefs.

China previously accused the United States Navy of provocation and interference in regional affairs.