China to defend sovereignty in South China Sea: President Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping tells US counterpart Barack Obama in Washington that Beijing is resolute in defending its sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Xi said that the disputes over the waters should be settled peacefully by relevant claimants through direct talks.

Beijing “respects and safeguards the freedom of navigation and overflight other countries are entitled to under international law,” he said during a meeting with Obama on the sidelines of a global nuclear summit on Thursday.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The contested waters are believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves.

The dispute has at times drawn in extra-territorial countries — particularly the United States — which have more often than not sided with China’s rivals.

Recently, the US has increased its presence in the Asia-Pacific region through its so-called pivot strategy, which critics denounce as a provocative policy.

Beijing accuses Washington of meddling in regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the South China Sea. The US, in turn, accuses Beijing of carrying out what it calls a land reclamation program in the South China Sea by building artificial islands in the disputed areas.

On Thursday, a report said experts expected China to deploy a new generation of Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles believed to be the world’s longest-range with the capacity of carrying multiple warheads.

EA