BEIJING: China has accused the United States of undermining peace and development in the Asia-Pacific after a senior US official said concern was mounting over China’s claims in the South China Sea.
“These actions are not constructive”, Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
“We urge the US to hold a rational and fair attitude, so as to have a constructive role in the peace and development of the region, and not the opposite,” Lei said.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny Russel told a congressional testimony on Wednesday the United States had “growing concerns” that China’s maritime claims were an effort to gain creeping control of oceans in the region. China’s claims had “created uncertainty, insecurity and instability”, Russel said.
Reuters
