BEIJING: China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Thursday took a belligerent stance on the disputed South China Sea, warning of “justified actions” to defend its sovereignty claims and chided the US for not implementing its commitments to improve bilateral ties.
Wang, in his customary annual press conference on the sidelines of the Parliament session, took officially vetted questions from the national and international media on varied topics of global significance.
Wang 70, a veteran diplomat and member of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), abruptly took over as Foreign Minister last year after his junior Qin Gang was dismissed. The fate of Qin is not known yet.
There was speculation about Wang being succeeded by Liu Jianchao, the Chinese diplomat currently heading the international department of the CPC, but there was no announcement about it.Wang, in his nationally televised press meet that lasted nearly 90 minutes, spoke sternly on the South China Sea disputes as he warned that, “China will take justified actions to defend its rights in accordance with the law, and respond to unwarranted provocations with prompt and legitimate countermeasures in the South China Sea.”
His comments came as the South China Sea dispute returned to haunt Beijing with the Philippines, backed by the US, began asserting its claims confronting the Chinese coast guard ships with its naval assets.
China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. “The Chinese people have lived and worked in the South China Sea for generations,” Wang said about China’s claims. Wang also announced a visa-free policy for Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg on a trial basis, starting March 14.
Meanwhile, a top American diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, Daniel Kritenbrink, criticised China for using intimidation tactics against other countries in the region to press its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea.