China warns US not to “aggravate” discord and “stir” division amid heightened tensions

In new verbal spat that has heightened risk of military conflict, China warned the US not to “aggravate” discord and “stir” division between China and its South-East Asian neighbour countries in the disputed region of South China sea. China’s statement comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of a "campaign of bullying” to control smaller island nations in the resource-rich region. Further, the US called China’s expansive maritime claims as “unlawful”, a move viewed as the thaw in already fraught bilateral relations between the two nations. In retaliation, China launched a verbal attack on the US, saying, the US was 'inciting confrontation'.  

Under the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region—China’s Embassy in the US said in a statement on the website. 

Accusing China of deploying ‘intimidatory tactics’ in the potentially rich disputed waters to side-line claimant nations with belligerence, Pompeo called China’s occupation and its military bases on artificial islands as “illegal”. China exercises coercion over Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and lays claims on the large swathes of the South China Sea, which, according to several reports, is contested by smaller island nations.

The United States is not a party to the dispute in the South China Sea, but has frequently intervened in the South China Sea issue, under the guise of maintaining stability in the South China Sea, showing off force, showing tension, and instigating confrontation in the region; under the guise of maintaining the rules—China’s Embassy in the US .

“No coherent legal basis” for ambitions

Further flaring the regional tensions and wading into a conflict, the US secretary said, “We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful.” Moreover, in a statement issued on July 13, the US said that China had “no coherent legal basis” for its ambitions in the South China Sea.  

The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire—US secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. 

Read: 'Impossible To Misguide': VHP Flays Nepal PM's Ayodhya Claim, Hints At Pressure From China

Read: China On Huawei, Japan, Arms Sale To Taiwan

Calling the US a “troublemaker”, and condemning Pompeo’s assertiveness China responded to the statement, saying, United States' comments were "completely unjustified". "The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue," the Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement published on its website.  While China and its smaller neighbours have resolved contention in the disputed territorial waters through UN-backed arbitration in the past, US indicated that it now considers all Chinese maritime claims, including those internationally recognised as illegitimate, as per the reports. However, China called the US a “bully” and reportedly slapped sanctions on Lockheed Martin over exports of military arms to Taiwan. 

Read: Japan Accuses China Of Pushing Territorial Claims In Indo-Pacific Amid Pandemic

Read: UK Bans China's Huawei From 5G Network, Company Calls It 'disappointing' And 'politicised'

(Images: AP)

(With agency inputs)