BEIJING: China warned Britain on Tuesday (Mar 11) towards “frightening tensions” within the South China Sea after its overseas minister David Lammy known as Beijing’s actions within the disputed waters “harmful and destabilising”.
In a video partly filmed alongside a vessel belonging to the Philippine Coast Guard, Lammy on Monday condemned “harmful and destabilising actions” by Beijing within the South China Sea.
China claims the strategically essential waterway in practically its entirety, regardless of a world ruling that its claims don’t have any authorized foundation.
Requested about Lammy’s feedback, overseas ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated “the UK ought to respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits within the South China Sea and chorus from frightening tensions or sowing discord over regional disputes”.
“The South China Sea is at the moment one of many most secure and freest maritime routes on the earth,” Mao stated.
Beijing has deployed navy and coast guard vessels in a bid to bar Manila from essential reefs and islands within the South China Sea, resulting in a string of confrontations in current months.
In a Saturday assembly along with his Filipino counterpart Enrique Manalo, Britain and the Philippines signed a joint framework to spice up defence and maritime cooperation.
The Philippines has comparable agreements with the US, Australia and Japan.
