PHOTO XINHUA PHNOM PENH Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi refuted the so-called concerns the United States has expressed over the issue and expounded on China's position on the South China Sea issue.
Wang said China's position on the South China Sea issue is supported by abundant historical and legal basis.
Wang said that China and the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN have been committed to properly handling their differences through a bilateral consultation and negotiation based on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and that it has never changed the basis and scope of its position.
Over the years, China and ASEAN have worked together to maintain the overall stability in the South China Sea, providing a stable environment for development and prosperity, pointing out that at present, the biggest risk to peace and stability in the South China Sea is the inappropriate intervention and frequent interference by major countries outside the region.
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For a long time, the US side had not raised any objections to China's sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea, saying that it does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands there, and now it has turned to total negation of China's position, stressing that it is baseless in terms of logic, law and justice.
What will be the credibility of a major country if it changes its policies so arbitrarily according to its own political needs? Wang said something.
In recent years, an increasing number of US warships and aircraft have been headed for the South China Sea. China and other coastal countries can't help but wonder what the US side wants to do? Wang said something.
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He said that countries outside the region should scrupulously abide by their duty and faithfully respect regional countries' efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Chinese side and the ASEAN countries are now speeding up the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and will join forces to upgrade the DOC and set effective regional rules with practical significance, Wang said.