Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi gives an exclusive interview to Xinhua on China-U.S. ties in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
The South China Sea is the shared home for the countries in the region and should not be a wrestling ground for international politics, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
The United States has recently taken a number of provocative actions in the South China Sea, breaching its longstanding commitment of not taking sides, and blatantly interfering in the territorial disputes, Wang said.
Moreover, the United States keeps increasing and showing off its military presence in the South China Sea, he said. In the first half of this year alone, it sent military aircraft there more than 2,000 times.
The United States is also seeking to drive a wedge between China and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and disrupt the consultation process of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, Wang added.
The U.S. purpose is to destabilize the South China Sea, and hijack regional countries onto its chariot to serve U.S. domestic politics and geopolitical agenda, Wang noted, urging all regional countries to be vigilant, and prevent this region's hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged by the United States.
Facts have proved that settling disputes through dialogue is the right way that best serves the interests of regional countries, and countries in the region have a shared responsibility to keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable, he said.
Under the current situation, China proposes removing all disturbances to restart as soon as possible the Code of Conduct consultation, and agreeing as early as possible on a set of rules for maintaining long-term peace and stability in the region, Wang said.
In the meantime, China is prepared to strengthen maritime cooperation with other littoral countries, deepen mutual security confidence, and advance joint development, so as to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, he added.
