China tells U.S. to stay out of South China Seas dispute
Source: Reuters
China told the United States on Tuesday to stay out of disputes over the South China Sea and leave countries in the region to resolve problems themselves, after Washington said it wanted a freeze on stoking tension.
Michael Fuchs, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Strategy and Multilateral Affairs, said no country was solely responsible for escalating tension in the region. But he reiterated the U.S. view that "provocative and unilateral" behaviour by China had raised questions about its willingness to abide by international law.
China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to contain oil and gas deposits and has rich fishery resources. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also lay claim to parts of the sea, where about $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes every year.
China's Foreign Ministry repeated that it had irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, where most of the competing claims overlap, and that China continued to demand the immediate withdrawal of personnel and equipment of countries which were "illegally occupying" China's islands.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/15/us-china-usa-asean-idUSKBN0FK0CM20140715?utm_source=twitter
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)The US absolutely can not back down or look the other way.
IronGate
(2,186 posts)IronGate
(2,186 posts)The S. China Sea is a strategic area of which we've got national security interests in, so I don't see us staying out of it.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)IronGate
(2,186 posts)Taiwan, the Phillipines, for one.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)IronGate
(2,186 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)Last edited Tue Jul 15, 2014, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Unless you take the position that the United States somehow has jurisdiction over these areas.
American Empire!
IronGate
(2,186 posts)which Pres. Obama has made clear that he would honor them, so we do have a strategic interest in the S. China Sea.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)aka purely selfish interests unless its perfectly clear that the current populations want those treaties.
IronGate
(2,186 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Regional stability and preventing a war, for another.
hack89
(39,171 posts)safeguarding the flow of oil to our economic partners in the region is another.
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)See, it's okay if the United States goes into an area to exploit its oil resources, because we're the GOOD GUYS.
If Russia, China, or anyone else tries to do the exact same thing, well then we got ourselves a problem. Because that is OUR oil.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)not by just one country, but by several. China has essentially said they control the entire South China Sea.
The blue lines are the UNCLOS 200 nautical mile EEZ
The red line is everything that China claims
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and The Philippines are just a few of the countries in which China is claiming the same rights. This map doesn't even go into the issues of disputed islands between China and Japan, which also have disputes.
msongs
(67,395 posts)Response to Bosonic (Original post)
Veilex This message was self-deleted by its author.
agbdf
(200 posts)China has been challenging the Territorial waters and lands of Viet Nam as well as those of our friends, Japan, The Philippines and Taiwan. Recognizing this serious threat, President Obama has wisely begun to shift the strategic posture of our military to this area. President Obama has made it clear to the Chinese that he will not tolerate the Communist Nation's rogue policies.