China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong (孫衛東) recently criticized the U.S. for creating the biggest security challenge in the South China Sea. Sun made the remarks during an interview with Chinese media after attending the East Asian Cooperation meetings in Vientiane, Laos last Saturday.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website, Sun pointed out that U.S.-led forces are advancing military deployments and actions in the South China Sea. This not only exacerbates maritime disputes and conflicts but also harms the legitimate rights and interests of coastal countries.
He accused the U.S. of dragging the Asia Pacific region into an arms race with its deployment of medium-range missile systems in the area. This places the entire region under the shadow of geopolitical conflicts, undermining peace and stability. China, Sun stated, firmly opposes Cold War-era thinking and bloc confrontations and rejects any external interference that provokes an arms race or uses regional countries as geopolitical pawns.
Tensions in the South China Sea have risen as China has taken increasingly aggressive actions against other nations, especially towards the Philippines. Past confrontations include the use of water cannons against other ships and the chasing of fishing boats in the area by Chinese vessels.
The South China Sea is one of the world’s most important trade routes with plentiful undersea oil and gas deposits. While there are competing territorial claims, China arrogates almost the entire South China Sea to itself based on historic grounds. However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated Beijing’s claims in 2016, a decision rejected by China.