In a trying week for Chinese diplomats, both ASEAN and the US and Japan have openly condemned China's behavior in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
At the conclusion of the 26th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia, the organization's ten member states condemned China's recent land reclamation activities as having the potential to "undermine peace, security, and stability in the South China Sea."
ASEAN members - including four fellow claimants to areas of the sea - also "reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in and over-flight over the South China Sea" and pressed for the “expeditious resolution” of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei addressed the statement at a press conference, saying that "the Chinese side is gravely concerned about the statement of the 26th ASEAN Summit on the South China Sea issue" and affirming that reclamation projects on the disputed reefs are "lawful, justified and reasonable and thus beyond reproach."
At a press conference in the White House Rose Garden yesterday, US president Barack Obama also accused China of "flexing its muscles" by means of its territorial claims and the construction of new islands in disputed waters.
"There are some real tensions that have arisen with China around its approach to maritime issues and its claims," Obama said as he stood side-by-side with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who recently arrived in the United States for a state visit.
"Rather than resolve these issues through normal international dispute settlements, [the Chinese] are flexing their muscles," Obama said. "That's the wrong way to go about it."
Obama also put to rest any lingering doubts as to whether Washington would stand by Tokyo in the event of a confrontation with Beijing, hailing the US-Japanese partnership as "indestructible" and reiterating that "our treaty commitment to Japan’s security is absolute."
Earlier this month, US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Harry Harris accused China of assembling a "Great Wall of Sand" in the contested sea, creating artificial islands with facilities such as an air strip that could potentially be for military use.
[Image via Washington Post]
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