QINGDAO: China stays dedicated to resolving maritime disputes with different nations by way of dialogue however won’t enable itself to be “abused,” a senior navy official mentioned at a gathering of senior overseas naval officers within the port metropolis of Qingdao on Monday.
The ocean shouldn’t be an enviornment the place nations can flex their “gunboat muscle groups”, added Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Army Fee and a detailed ally of President Xi Jinping.
“Actuality has proven that those that make deliberate provocations, stoke tensions, or assist one facet in opposition to one other for egocentric beneficial properties will in the end solely damage themselves,” Zhang mentioned.
The feedback had been an obvious reference to rising tensions within the South China Sea, the place Washington treaty ally Manila is in a fraught standoff with Beijing over the strategic waterway, a possible flashpoint for U.S-China relations.
Zhang additionally informed the gathered delegates that “finishing up maritime containment, encirclement and island blockades will solely plunge the world right into a vortex of division and turbulence.”
The occasion overlaps with annual U.S.-Philippines large-scale joint navy drills, which start on Monday and will probably be held outdoors Philippine territorial waters for the primary time.
Tensions are significantly excessive across the Second Thomas Shoal within the South China Sea, the place Manila has accused Beijing of “harassment”, together with using water cannons in opposition to Philippine vessels.
The Western Pacific Naval Symposium is a uncommon alternative for nations with opposing regional pursuits to alternate views. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler is attending the from the USA. Different delegations embody Australia, France, India, Russia and Britain.
Contributors will maintain closed-door talks on matters comparable to addressing maritime safety challenges and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a set of tips meant to de-escalate tensions between militaries at sea.
The ocean shouldn’t be an enviornment the place nations can flex their “gunboat muscle groups”, added Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Army Fee and a detailed ally of President Xi Jinping.
“Actuality has proven that those that make deliberate provocations, stoke tensions, or assist one facet in opposition to one other for egocentric beneficial properties will in the end solely damage themselves,” Zhang mentioned.
The feedback had been an obvious reference to rising tensions within the South China Sea, the place Washington treaty ally Manila is in a fraught standoff with Beijing over the strategic waterway, a possible flashpoint for U.S-China relations.
Zhang additionally informed the gathered delegates that “finishing up maritime containment, encirclement and island blockades will solely plunge the world right into a vortex of division and turbulence.”
The occasion overlaps with annual U.S.-Philippines large-scale joint navy drills, which start on Monday and will probably be held outdoors Philippine territorial waters for the primary time.
Tensions are significantly excessive across the Second Thomas Shoal within the South China Sea, the place Manila has accused Beijing of “harassment”, together with using water cannons in opposition to Philippine vessels.
The Western Pacific Naval Symposium is a uncommon alternative for nations with opposing regional pursuits to alternate views. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler is attending the from the USA. Different delegations embody Australia, France, India, Russia and Britain.
Contributors will maintain closed-door talks on matters comparable to addressing maritime safety challenges and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a set of tips meant to de-escalate tensions between militaries at sea.
