The United States has expressed deep concern about China’s growing ‘dangerous and illegal’ activities in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), AP reports. Washington reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in this strategic region.
‘We are very concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and illegal activities in the South China Sea, which have resulted in injuries, damaged ASEAN vessels and contradicted commitments to peaceful dispute resolution,’ Blinken said.
China claims most of the South China Sea, which has caused conflicts with ASEAN member states, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan. The region is vital, as about a third of global trade passes through it, and its waters are rich in fisheries, oil and gas. While the US has no territorial claims in the region, it has deployed warships and fighter jets to patrol to ensure freedom of navigation.
Earlier, the Philippines claimed that Chinese coastguard ships used water cannons and tried to block two Philippine fishing vessels. China, for its part, justified its actions as ‘control measures’. Vietnam also accused China of a ‘brutal’ attack on a Vietnamese fishing vessel, which, according to Hanoi, endangered the lives of the crew.
