Washington: US National Security Adviser John Bolton has said that China is threatening peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region by adopting coercive behaviour towards its southeast Asian neighbours.
"Respect for sovereignty and freedom of navigation are fundamental to the Indo-Pacific vision shared by the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China's coercive behaviour towards its southeast Asian neighbours is counterproductive and threatens regional peace and stability," Bolton wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Bolton's tweet comes amid reports of a large-scale standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels in the South China sea. According to reports, Vietnam has demanded China to remove an oil exploration ship from disputed waters near the Spratly Islands.