China’s top diplomat Wang Yi calls for nations to reject ‘bloc confrontation’ in swipe at US

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for nations to oppose “bloc confrontation” and a zero-sum approach to maritime affairs, in a veiled swipe at the United States.

The foreign minister made the comments in a pre-recorded video address to the Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in Hainan on Wednesday, a two-day forum attended by diplomats, officials and academics from more than 20 countries and regions.

Wang said the world’s oceans should be “a link for the promotion of exchanges and cooperation among countries” and not used for “decoupling and creating obstacles that separate the world”.

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He said maritime conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means.

“We should insist on the settlement of historical maritime disputes through amicable consultations and negotiations directly between parties and reject bloc confrontation and zero-sum games,” Wang said.

He added that Beijing stands ready to work with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members for an early conclusion to the code of conduct for the South China Sea. Beijing and Asean last month agreed to start a third reading of the long-delayed code of conduct for the disputed waterway.

Speaking at the same forum, Sun Weidong, Chinese foreign vice-minister, said Beijing rejected “the formation of exclusive blocs” to create maritime hegemonism and divisive confrontation.

He said China advocated dialogue and consultation and opposed any show of force in managing maritime security.

“We will refrain from taking unilateral actions that lead to maritime tensions … and resolutely oppose close reconnaissance and the threat of force that jeopardises China’s coastline and security,” Sun said.

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According to a report by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Chinese think tank, US reconnaissance aircraft carried out around 1,000 sorties in the South China Sea region last year. It said at least 12 nuclear attack submarines were detected, with a “clear aim” of deterrence.

China’s expansive claims to most of the South China Sea are disputed by rival claimants including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. Tensions have been rising in the resource-rich waterway, with multiple incidents involving Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels in recent months.

Wang did not mention the United States in his remarks to the forum, but it comes as the US has been strengthening its alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region, and boosting military ties with countries including Japan, Australia and the Philippines.

In April, the US was granted access to four additional military sites in the Philippines that could boost its defence capabilities in Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Tokyo and Manila, meanwhile, have struck a deal under Japan’s Official Security Assurance programme that offers the Philippines coastal surveillance radars through a grant worth 600 million yen (US$4 million).

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the Philippine congress in Manila last week: “In the South China Sea, trilateral cooperation to protect the freedom of the sea is under way,” referring to their mutual ally Washington.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (centre) visits the Japanese-made patrol ship BRP Teresa Magbanua at the coastguard’s headquarters in Manila on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (centre) visits the Japanese-made patrol ship BRP Teresa Magbanua at the coastguard’s headquarters in Manila on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE>

On Wednesday, Wang also referred to a 2016 tribunal ruling in The Hague, calling it an example of the international rule of law on oceans being “politically misused”.

The tribunal found that China has no historical rights to obtain resources in the South China Sea based on its “nine-dash line”, and granted the Philippines sovereign rights to access resources in its exclusive economic zone in the waterway. Beijing has rejected the ruling.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.