China has shown “great restraint” in the South China Sea by not seizing islands occupied by other countries even though it could have, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday as US President Barack
China has shown “great restraint” in the South China Sea by not seizing islands occupied by other countries even though it could have, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday as US President Barack Obama put tensions over Beijing’s claims to the disputed waters squarely on the agenda ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit, pointedly visiting the main warship of close ally the Philippines shortly after he landed in Manila.
Beijing has overlapping claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
China was the real victim as it had “dozens” of its islands and reefs in the Spratlys illegally occupied by three of the claimants, Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin told a news conference in Beijing.
He did not name the countries, but all claimants except Brunei have military fortifications in the Spratlys.
“The Chinese government has the right and the ability to recover the islands and reefs illegally occupied by neighbouring countries,” Mr Liu said.
“But we haven’t done this. We have maintained great restraint with the aim to preserve peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Tensions over the South China Sea are likely to dominate the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this week.
On the other hand, Mr Obama affirmed a commitment to the Philippines’ security and to freedom of navigation in regional waters and promised the Philippines a warship as part of a $250-million aid package to Southeast Asian allies worried about Chinese efforts to control the South China Sea.
The verbal jousting could cast a shadow over the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit of about 20 heads of state and government, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Manila has said it will not bring up the maritime dispute to avoid embarrassing Mr Xi, but could not prevent others from doing so. Mr Xi also arrived in Manila on Tuesday, but did not make any public comments.
Shortly after Air Force One touched down in Manila, Mr Obama boarded the Gregorio del Pilar, a Philippines Navy frigate that was a US Coast Guard cutter until 2011 but on Tuesday flew the flags of the two allies.
“We have a treaty obligation, an iron-clad commitment to the defence of our ally the Philippines,” he said, flanked by about two dozen US and Philippines uniformed Navy personnel. “My visit here underscored our shared commitment to the security of the waters of this region and to freedom of navigation.”
He did not mention China but the symbolism of his visit was hard to miss: the ageing vessel is now a mainstay of the Philippine Navy, operating around the Spratly islands in the South China Sea that are claimed by both Manila and Beijing.
Mr Obama also announced two more US ships would be transferred to the Philippines as part of a two-year $250 million package to enhance regional maritime security — a research vessel to help navigate territorial waters and a coast guard cutter for “long endurance patrols”.
He brought the dispute up again at a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, telling reporters it was important to uphold the “basic principle that these issues should be resolved by international norms and rule of law, and peacefully settled”.
Reclamation work and the building of three airfields and other facilities on some of China’s artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago have alarmed the region and raised concern in Washington that China is extending its military reach deep into maritime Southeast Asia.
