BEIJING, June 29 (UPI) -- China, responding to a U.S. Senate resolution on the dispute over the South China Sea, said it has always wanted to resolve such issues through negotiations.
"The disputes should be resolved through direct negotiations between the countries involved," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "Freedom of shipping in the South China Sea has never been affected by the disputes, and there has never been such a problem."
The U.S. Senate Monday unanimously passed a resolution deploring the recent use of force by Chinese maritime security vessels against a Vietnamese exploration ship, and calling for a peaceful resolution of the dispute over the South China Sea through multilateral efforts.
The sea dispute has become tense, as China repeatedly asserts its "indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) and the surrounding waters" of the South China Sea, and has asked all other claimant countries to stop drilling there for oil and gas. Besides Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan also have asserted claims in the seas.
Hong said the disputes among relevant countries in the South China Sea centered around the sovereignty of some isles on the Spratly Islands and the demarcation in certain parts of the sea.
