China's land reclamation around
reefs in the disputed South China Sea is undermining freedom and
stability, and risks provoking tension that could even lead to conflict,
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a conference in
Jakarta.
An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015.
China claims 90 percent of the South
China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, its claims
overlapping with those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and
Taiwan.
Recent satellite images suggest China
has made rapid progress in filling in land in contested territory in the
Spratly islands and in building an airstrip suitable for military use
and that it may be planning another.
"As China seeks to make sovereign land out of sandcastles and redraw maritime boundaries, it is "," Blinken said on Wednesday.
"Its behavior threatens to set a new
precedent whereby larger countries are free to intimidate smaller ones,
and that provokes tensions, instability and can even lead to conflict."
The United States and China clashed over
the dispute on Saturday, when visiting U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry urged China to take action to reduce tension. China said its
determination to protect its interests was "as hard as a rock".
Asked about Blinken's remarks, China's
Foreign Ministry demanded on Thursday that the United States abide by
the principle of not taking sides on the South China Sea, and said his
comments damaged trust in the region.
"The U.S. assumptions are groundless," ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular briefing.
Blinken said the previous day that competing claims had to be handled "diplomatically".
"We don't take sides but we strongly oppose actions that aim to advance a claim by force or coercion," he said.
"We will continue to encourage all claimants to resolve their differences in accordance with international norms."
The territorial dispute is seen by many
as one of Asia's most dangerous hot spots, posing risks that it could
result in conflict as countries stake their claims.
Source: Reuters