China: US should not speak for other countries; US criticizes China

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 09:10 PM

China: US should not speak for other countries; US criticizes China

China on Friday refuted criticism by a top US Navy official that it has become a "disruptive transitional force" in the Indo-Pacific region and asserted that America should not "speak for other countries".

Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris, during a panel discussion at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, said: "China is a disruptive transitional force in the Indo-Pacific. They are the owners of trust deficit".

Harris asked how defensive would Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines be when China has staked claims on the waters also claimed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations, comprising the former three countries, in an apparent reference to maritime disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea (SCS).

China claims almost all of the SCS. Its claims are contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters that this is not the first time the three have made such comments about China.

"We did not hear from these countries that they feel worried about China's development. They (the US) should not speak for other countries," Lu said.