BEIJING—China said it is “strongly dissatisfied” with a Group of Seven statement calling for restraint in disputed waters, as worries grow in Asia over Beijing’s territorial and military ambitions.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with relevant moves taken by G7,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement.
“We urge G7 members to abide by their promise of not taking sides on territorial disputes, respect the efforts by regional countries, stop all irresponsible words and actions, and make constructive contribution to regional peace and stability.”
A two-day meeting of G7 foreign ministers—a grouping that excludes China—in the Japanese city of Hiroshima issued a joint statement saying: “We are concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas, and emphasize the fundamental importance of peaceful management and settlement of disputes.
“We express our strong opposition to any intimidating, coercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions.”
The G7 statement did not explicitly name China, but Beijing lays claim to almost all of the South China Sea despite conflicting partial claims from Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It has constructed artificial islands in the area in recent months as it asserts its sovereignty.
Japan, meanwhile, has its own dispute with China in the East China Sea over uninhabited islands that it administers but that are also claimed by Beijing.
The G7 also urged “all states to refrain from such actions as land reclamations” and “building of outposts… for military purposes.”
Beijing indicated that it felt targeted by the comments.
“Given the sluggish global economic recovery at the moment, G7 should have focused on global economic governance and cooperation instead of hyping up maritime issues and fueling tensions in the region,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu said.
The Philippines on Tuesday welcomed the G7 statement on maritime security, which called on all countries to uphold the principles of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The statement, released on April 11 in Hiroshima, Japan, reaffirmed the need to ensure peace, stability, freedom of navigation and overflight, and to adhere to the rule of law in the South China Sea,” the Foreign Affairs Department said in a statement.
The department added that the Philippines, which filed a case before a UN tribunal against China’s claim to nearly all the South China sea, promotes a peaceful, rules-based approach to the disputes in the South China Sea.
Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia on Tuesday said he hopes a victory for the Philippines in its case against China before The Hague-based tribunal would prompt Beijing to seek a resolution of the disputes in the South China Sea in a peaceful and diplomatic manner.
China has repeatedly said that it does not recognize Manila’s case nor would it abide by the court’s decision, a move, which Cuisia warned, that may entail “some cost” to Beijing.
“China of course values its reputation in the international community. They are a rising power and of course they would like to enjoy the respect of the international community,” Cuisia said. “I don’t think they want to be pictured as a rogue nation.”
Cuisia said he expects China to sit down with the Philippines to settle the matter diplomatically even though it would be “unrealistic” to expect that to happen right away.
“It will take time,” he said. “Maybe it will take a number of years before we get to that point, but hopefully China will realize that it is to their interest to resolve the issue peacefully in a manner that is mutually satisfactory because it cannot be just one-sided.”
A maritime standoff in 2012 in the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal prompted the Philippines to seek international arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, a legal step that has angered China and impaired ties between the two Asian neighbors.
Manila’s case sought to demolish China’s claim that it has indisputable and historical rights over nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea, including areas that are within the Philippines exclusive economic zone as allowed by international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Both Manila and Beijing, along with more than 160 states, are signatories to the UNCLOS.
China’s massive island-building on seven contested reefs in the South China Sea has drastically changed the security landscape in waters, a vital trading route where undersea oil and gas has been discovered in several areas, home to rich mineral deposits and teeming with abundant marine life.
Beijing has reclaimed more than 2,900 acres of land in the South China Sea in less than two years or immediately after the Philippines sought arbitration.
China has admitted that the reclaimed features, where at least two airstrips and massive buildings were constructed and surface-to-air missiles, were reportedly installed in one island, will have both military and civilian functions.
But analysts believe that the reclaimed islands will be used as military outposts to further cement its control over the waters—a move being opposed by the United States, Japan, Australia, European Union and G7 nations, fearing this would embolden China to restrict freedom of air and sea navigation. With AFP, PNA