Chinese media slam US:

Chinese state media on Tuesday slammed the lifting of a decades-old US arms embargo against Vietnam, saying the move was aimed at Beijing and calling Barack Obama’s assurances to the contrary “a very poor lie”.

Obama announced the end of the 41-year-old ban on weapons sales to the United States’ former foe in Hanoi on Monday, as Washington and Beijing jockey for influence in Asia and tensions mount in the strategically important South China Sea.

Beijing is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the area, building up artificial islands with facilities capable of military use, while Washington has responded with “freedom of navigation” sail-bys and fly-pasts.

Beijing claims almost the whole of the sea, while several of its neighbours have conflicting claims, including Vietnam.

The arms sales decision “was not based on China”, Obama said, but part of normalising ties with the ex-enemy.

China’s Global Times newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist party, retorted Tuesday that the comment was “a very poor lie” and exacerbated “the strategic antagonism between Washington and Beijing”. (AFP)