US has ‘no right to intervene’ in South China Sea, Beijing warns
Beijing has warned Washington that Americans have "no right to intervene" in affairs related to the South China Sea.
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, on Monday, condemned China's "dangerous and escalatory measures” in the South China Sea.
In response, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mao Ning said on Tuesday, “The US is not a party in the South China Sea and has no right to intervene in maritime disputes" in the region.
On the contrary, the spokeswoman went on the say, the Chinese nation had every right to take “legal measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
She said, Washington must not interfere in regional disputes, emphasizing that American should refrain from provoking an escalation of tensions between countries in the South China Sea.
“The US should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea, not disrupt regional stability and not escalate tensions,” Mao said.
China's territorial and maritime claims in South China Sea overlap with those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.
The US itself has no claims to territory or waters in the South China Sea, but the Americans regularly conduct patrols there, solely or jointly with Washington’s long-time regional military ally, the Philippines, irking China.
The Filipino armed forces have repeatedly engaged with Chinese ships in the waters over the past year, including around a warship, grounded in 1999 by Manila on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, which hosts a garrison.
On Monday, coast guard ships from the two countries collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometers west of the archipelagic province of Palawan, known as the Philippines' Last Frontier.
After the vessels collided near the disputed reef, Beijing emphasized that its Navy would keep up its “forceful measures” in the South China Sea. The disputed area is believed to sit atop huge oil and gas reserves.
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