China: Japan must stop SCS interference
‘ Japan is not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, and thus should exercise caution in its own words and deeds, and stop hyping up and interfering,’ Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said
Chinese PM Li Keqiang told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday that his country should stop interfering and hyping up the South China Sea issue, as the dispute took centre stage at a key regional summit in Mongolia.
China has refused to recognise Tuesday’s ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague invalidating China’s vast claims in the South China Sea and did not take part in the proceedings. It has reacted angrily to calls by Western countries and Japan for the decision to be adhered to.
Meeting in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, Mr Li told Mr Abe that China’s stance on the South China Sea was completely in line with international law, state news agency Xinhua reported. “Japan is not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, and thus should exercise caution in its own words and deeds, and stop hyping up and interfering”, Mr Li said, according to Xinhua. Japan’s Kyodo news agency said Mr Abe told Mr Li that a rules- based international order must be respected. The agency also said Mr Abe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had agreed the ruling must be observed. Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Yasuhisa Kawamura said Mr Abe “reiterated the fundamental positions regarding the South China Sea” in his
meeting with Mr Li.
“The situation of the South China Sea is the concern of the international community. The tribunal award of 12 July is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute,” Mr Kawamura told reporters. Speaking at the meeting of Asian and European officials in Mongolia, Philippines foreign minister Perfecto Yasay said Manila “strongly affirms its respect for the milestone decision” while reiterating his call for “restraint and sobriety”. China’s foreign ministry on Friday said Beijing’s position on the case had the support of Laos, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean), a regional bloc long dogged by discord over how to deal with China’s maritime assertiveness.
China’s foreign ministry also said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had told Mr Li that Cambodia would uphold a “fair and objective stance” on the South China Sea issue and work to maintain friendly China- Asean relations, according to a statement.