Without directly naming China, Abe voiced "serious concerns" over the reclamation work, pointing out that it is a "unilateral action that will change the status quo and raise regional tensions," according to a Japanese official.
"In order to protect free and peaceful waters, it is important for the international community to work together," the official quoted Abe as saying at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur he attended with Li, South Korean President Park Geun Hye and their counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
An ASEAN diplomat said Abe suggested that the scale of the Chinese action is "more than expected."
Abe and two to three other leaders made more or less similar remarks regarding China's controversial actions, saying that ensuring freedom of navigation in the disputed waterway is important and that all disputes must be solved peacefully through international law, according to officials with direct knowledge of the summit.
Neither the Chinese premier nor any other leader reacted to or opposed their remarks, the officials said.
China, which claims most of the South China Sea, has insisted that its construction activities around the Spratly archipelago are civilian in nature and has no plans to militarize the area.
China has also said its territorial disputes in the sea with other claimants, namely, Taiwan and four ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- should be resolved bilaterally, not multilaterally, without the interference of countries such as Japan and the United States.................http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2015/11/385427.html
21/11/15
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China rebukes Japan's meddling in South China Sea issue
Les forces d'autodéfense japonaises n'ont pas de plans concrets quant à la participation aux patrouilles en mer de Chine méridionale, a déclaré le porte-parole du gouvernement japonais Yoshihide Suga à Tokyo pour commenter les propos tenus par le premier ministre du Japons au cours de sa rencontre avec le président des Etats-Unis Barack Obama...
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China has defended its construction of infrastructure on disputed islands in the South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteIt said it did not intend to militarise the area and accused the US of provocations by sending a navy ship through the area last month.
The comments by a Chinese vice foreign minister came on the sidelines of the annual Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur.
China claims most of the South China Sea as its territory, but four South-East Asian states also claim parts.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama called on China to stop land reclamation in the disputed waters.
China has repeatedly said its dredging work is legal.
The land reclamation, which began in late 2013, has turned submerged reefs into islands..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34894878
22/11/15