THE United States Secretary of State Antony blinken hit out at China's 'escalatory and unlawful actions' in the South China Sea hours before he was due to hold talks with Beijing's top diplomat at a regional meeting in Vientiane, reports Agence France-Presse.
Mr Blinken is in Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers meeting, part of an Asian tour aimed at reinforcing regional ties in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing.
His statement comes as China once again warned the Philippines that it would 'respond resolutely' to any violation by the Philippines of a recent deal to calm tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, its top diplomat told his Filipino counterpart, Beijing said Saturday.
Manila is locked in a longstanding territorial row with Beijing over parts of the strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars' worth of trade passes annually.
Last week, the two sides agreed to a 'provisional arrangement' for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), which has been the focus of violent clashes in recent months.
On Saturday, Manila said it had successfully resupplied troops on the Second Thomas Shoal without any incident. In response, Mr Blinken said the US was 'pleased to take note of the successful resupply today' and 'applaud that and hope and expect to see that it continues going forward.'
But he chided Beijing's 'unlawful actions' at sea and said he was due to meet China's Wang Yi, who, according to China's foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning, would 'exchange views on issues of common concern'.
The United States and Asean had to work together to 'address challenges,' Mr Blinken told ministers from the 10-member bloc, including China's 'escalatory and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines in the South China Sea over the last few months.'
SeaNews Turkey
Mr Blinken is in Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers meeting, part of an Asian tour aimed at reinforcing regional ties in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing.
His statement comes as China once again warned the Philippines that it would 'respond resolutely' to any violation by the Philippines of a recent deal to calm tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, its top diplomat told his Filipino counterpart, Beijing said Saturday.
Manila is locked in a longstanding territorial row with Beijing over parts of the strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars' worth of trade passes annually.
Last week, the two sides agreed to a 'provisional arrangement' for resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), which has been the focus of violent clashes in recent months.
On Saturday, Manila said it had successfully resupplied troops on the Second Thomas Shoal without any incident. In response, Mr Blinken said the US was 'pleased to take note of the successful resupply today' and 'applaud that and hope and expect to see that it continues going forward.'
But he chided Beijing's 'unlawful actions' at sea and said he was due to meet China's Wang Yi, who, according to China's foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning, would 'exchange views on issues of common concern'.
The United States and Asean had to work together to 'address challenges,' Mr Blinken told ministers from the 10-member bloc, including China's 'escalatory and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines in the South China Sea over the last few months.'
SeaNews Turkey
