China reaffirms sovereignty over disputed islands
Print Edition
CHINA’S determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is “unshakable,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday.
After a private meeting with United States Secretary of State John Kerry, Wang showed no sign of backing down despite Kerry urging China to take action to reduce tension in the South China Sea.
“With regard to construction on the Nansha islands and reefs, this is fully within the scope of China’s sovereignty,” Wang told reporters.
“I would like to reaffirm that China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as hard as a rock. It is the people’s demand of the government and our legitimate right,” he said.
Wang made the comments at a joint news conference with Kerry, who is on a two-day visit to China.
Kerry did not respond when asked to clarify whether America intended to follow through on what a US official on Tuesday said was a proposal to send military aircraft and ships within territorial limits China asserts around reclaimed land.
Kerry said the US had stated its concerns about the pace and scope of China’s land reclamation in the sea.
“I urged China through Foreign Minister Wang to take actions that will join everybody in helping to reduce tensions and increase the prospect of a diplomatic solution,” he said.
Kerry said the US and China had “a lot to accomplish together ... as two of the world’s major powers and largest economies” and that millions of people around the world depended on them to ensure “high standards of behavior and aspiration.”
He said he believed that he and Wang had agreed the region needed “smart diplomacy” in order to conclude a code of conduct between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, “and not outposts and military strips” — an apparent reference to airstrips the US believes China is building on reclaimed land.
As to the concerns of related parties, Wang said China is willing to talk with them to promote mutual understanding, and that such dialogues are already under way between China and ASEAN.
China is also very willing to conduct the necessary talks with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, Wang said.
He acknowledged that China and the US have differences on the South China Sea issue, but noted the two sides also share common ground.
“We are both committed to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and to safeguarding freedom of navigation as defined by international law. We both stand for dialogue so as to solve the disputes peacefully,” Wang said.
“It’s OK to have differences, but we must not misunderstand each other, and certainly we must avoid miscalculation,” he said.
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