New Delhi: Reacting strongly to Quad Foreign Ministers calling for demilitarisation of South China Sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific and all the while, it has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation and holding back other countries’ development.
In response to a media query wherein the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Japan, Australia and India expressed concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “China believes that cooperation between countries, as well as regional initiatives, should be conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, rather than focused on forming exclusive clubs that undermine trust and cooperation among regional countries. Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and all the while, it has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries’ development."
“This runs counter to the overwhelming trend of pursuing peace, development, cooperation, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and will by no means gain any support. China firmly upholds its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and is committed to properly settling bilateral maritime issues with countries directly concerned through dialogue and consultation," he added.
He noted that some countries outside the region have frequently sent advanced military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea to flex their muscles and create tension, and have formed various groupings and incited division and confrontation in the region, all of which make them the biggest threat and challenge to regional peace and stability.
“China firmly opposes the bloc confrontation they incite in the name of “anti-coercion”, and the imposition of their house rules in the name of maintaining order. We call on countries outside the region to earnestly respect the effort of regional countries for peace and stability, and stop fanning flames and fueling tensions in the region”, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spox said.
On Monday, the Quad Foreign Ministers reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”We reaffirm our conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. We emphasise the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including for maritime claims, and in the South and East China Seas," the Quad Foreign Ministers said in the joint statement following the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting.
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We continue to express our serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea. We also express our serious concern about the dangerous use of Coast Guard and Maritime Militia vessels, the increasing use of various kinds of dangerous manoeuvres and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities. We affirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS. We emphasise the importance of maintaining and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law. We re-emphasise the universal and unified character of UNCLOS and reaffirm that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and the seas must be carried out. We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant milestone, and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties," the joint statement read.
It may be recalledxternal Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar on Monday said that India’s relationship with China is not doing very well.
In response to a media query about growing border tension between India and China, EAM Jaishankar in Tokyo said, "We have a problem; an issue between India & China. We have relations with China. It is for the two of us to talk it over and find a way. Obviously, other countries would have an interest in the matter because we are two big countries and the state of the relationship has an impact on the rest of the world but we are not looking to other countries to sort out the issue between India and China. I have met China's Foreign Minister twice this month. It is an issue between the two of us and we need to settle it between us...if countries have agreements, countries should abide by the agreements”.
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