1 of 3 | U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shake hands after a joint press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing on May 16, 2015. China and the United States clashed over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea on Saturday, as Wang asserted China's sovereignty to reclaim reefs saying its determination is "as hard as a rock." Kerry expressed strong concern at the pace and scope of China's reclamation projects. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI |
License Photo
BEIJING, May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concerns Saturday that China is seeking to assert control over the South China Sea by expanding land mass in the disputed waters.
In a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Kerry urged Beijing to pull back the country's land-reclamation efforts and look for a "diplomatic solution" to the ongoing dispute over the hotly contested Spratly Islands, a hub of international shipping routes that sees up to $5 trillion in maritime trade annually.
Wang rebuked Kerry, defending the work as part of the country's sovereignty.
"I would like to re-emphasize or reaffirm here that the determination of the Chinese side to safeguard our own sovereignty and territorial integrity is as firm as a rock, and it is unshakable. It is the request from our people and their government, as well as a legitimate right of ours," Wang said.
Tensions took to the top of the agenda Saturday morning as Kerry entered two days of meetings with senior Chinese officials to plan for President Xi Jinping's first official visit to the United States in September.
"The United States has stated that we are concerned about the pace and scope of China's land reclamation in the South China Sea," Kerry said. "And I urged China, through Foreign Minister Wang, to take actions that will join with everybody in helping to reduce tensions and increase the prospect of a diplomatic solution. And I think we agree that the region needs smart diplomacy in order to conclude the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]-China Code of Conduct and not outposts and military strips."
The United States and other countries that include the Philippines and Malaysia have been increasingly critical of China's activities. For months, China has been converting at least five tiny reefs into islands near the Spratlys big enough to handle military hardware and personnel. Recent satellite images show China building a concrete runway on one of the reclamation projects. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the reclamation efforts are intended for civilian purposes and military defense.
China claims more than 80 percent of the South China Sea, confirming its right as part of the so-called "nine-dash line" -- a rough estimate of China's territory on its official maps. No other country recognizes the validity of the nine-dash line, and some fear China's reclamation efforts are part of a drive to assert ownership over the Spratlys.
In March, Vice Admiral Robert Thomas, commander of the U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet, suggested ASEAN member nations, which include the Phillipines and Malaysia, create a combined maritime force to patrol the South China Sea.
Monday, tensions spiked between the U.S. and China after the USS Fort Worth traveled through the South China Sea near China's man-made islands.
