BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China’s South China Sea military deployments are no different from US deployments on Hawaii, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday, striking a combative tone ahead of a visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the United States this week.
The United States last week accused China of raising tensions in the South China Sea by its apparent deployment of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island, a move China has neither confirmed nor denied.
Asked whether the South China Sea, and the missiles, would come up when Wang is in the United States to meet Secretary of State John Kerry, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Washington should not use the issue of military facilities on the islands as a “pretext to make a fuss”.
“The US is not involved in the South China Sea dispute, and this is not and should not become a problem between China and the United States,” Hua told a daily news briefing.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States would “press China to deescalate and stop its militarization” in the South China Sea.
Toner said China’s “militarization activity” only escalated tensions, and added: “There needs to be a diplomatic mechanism in place that allows these territorial claims to be settled in a peaceful way.”
Wang is due to meet Kerry on Tuesday. Their talks will also include the international response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch, cyber security and climate change, Toner told a regular news briefing.
China hopes the US abides by its promises not to take sides in the dispute and stop “hyping up” the issue and tensions, especially over China’s “limited” military positions there, she said.
“China’s deploying necessary, limited defensive facilities on its own territory is not substantively different from the United States defending Hawaii,” Hua added.
