Chinese President Xi tells US it must be ‘fair’ on maritime disputes
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a “fair” attitude from U.S. President Barack Obama on the issue of East and South China Seas disputes. The two leaders have met on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in the Netherlands, and have discussed various issued, from the Ukraine crisis, the North Korean threat, and up to military-to-military cooperation.
China’s state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi to have said, “On the issues of the East and South China Sea, the U.S. side ought to adopt an objective and fair attitude, distinguish right from wrong, and do more to push for an appropriate resolution and improve the situation.” Chinais currently engaged in a bitter territorial dispute in the South China Sea between the Philippines and Vietnam. The dispute is centered on potential oil and gas-rich islands in the area, which China claims majority of and affecting essential shipping lanes. They also have a separate dispute against Japan over a set of uninhabited Japanese-administered islets in the East China Sea.
As the U.S. continues to strengthen its partnership and military alliances in Asia, specifically with Japan and the Philippines, China has continuously called for the western nation to avoid taking sides in the said disputes and sought for deeper cooperation between their militaries, so the two nations can participate in more joint exercises, in hopes of preventing “misunderstandings and miscalculations.” The misunderstanding referred to is the December incident when guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens exerted extra evasive action while in the South China Sea to avoid hitting a Chinese warship in support of the Liaoning, Beijing’s firstaircraft carrier.
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