China calls on U.S. to 'stop flexing muscles' in South China Sea

By Phil Stewart

 

FILE PHOTO: China's Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe reviews the honor guard before meeting with Brazil's Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva (not pictured) in Brasilia, Brazil September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - China on Monday called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and to avoid adding "new uncertainties" over Taiwan, during high-level talks that underscored tension between the world's two largest economies.

 

The remarks by Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe to U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, recounted by a Chinese spokesman, came just two weeks after a top White House official denounced Chinese "intimidation" in the busy waterway.

 

It also came a day after Esper publicly accused Beijing of "increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives" in the region.

 

During closed-door talks on the sidelines of a gathering of defence ministers in Bangkok, Wei urged Esper to "stop flexing muscles in the South China Sea and to not provoke and escalate tensions in the South China Sea," the spokesman, Wu Qian, said.

 

China claims almost all the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, where it has established military outposts on artificial islands. However, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea.

 

The United States accuses China of militarising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who might want to exploit trillion of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves.

 

The U.S. Navy regularly vexes China by conducting what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations by ships close to islands China occupies in the South China Sea.

 

Asked specifically what Wei sought for the United States to do differently, and whether that included halting such freedom of navigation operations, Wu said: "We (call on) the U.S. side to stop intervening in the South China Sea and stop military provocation in the South China Sea."

 

CHINESE CARRIER TRANSIT

Despite warm words exchanged in front of reporters, Wei and Esper also discussed the thorny issues, including Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, which has seen months of anti-government protests.

 

They also talks about democratic Taiwan, which is claimed by China as a wayward province and is the Communist Party's most sensitive and important territorial issue.

 

Wei underscored to Esper China's position that it would "not tolerate any Taiwan independence incident," Wu said, adding that it opposed any official or military contact with Taiwan.

 

China has in the past threatened to attack if Taiwan, set to hold a presidential election next year, moves towards independence.

 

"The Chinese side also requires the U.S. side to carefully handle the Taiwan related-issue and to not add new uncertainties to the Strait," Wu said.

 

The exchange came a day after news that China sailed a carrier group into the sensitive Taiwan Strait, led by its first domestically built aircraft carrier.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Gerry Doyle)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-18

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OK... when China stops flexing muscle in SE Asia, India, Pakistan, Africa and the South Pacific.. oh.. and central Asia.. 

Alright, Thailand, whose side you on?

Apparently the Chinese have no understanding of irony.

And Thailand has Humpty Dumpty Prawit sitting on the fence playing both sides.

14 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

OK... when China stops flexing muscle in SE Asia, India, Pakistan, Africa and the South Pacific.. oh.. and central Asia.. 

None of which you could spit on from America, but most of who have American military bases.

 

So who is flexing muscle? China has ONE overseas base, America, 700. Pack your **it and go home. No-one wants you now.

Ahhh no China and if we had leadership here in the USA the worlds naval forces would all be steaming through there showing the flag!

14 hours ago, zydeco said:

Alright, Thailand, whose side you on?

I think the money is coming from china ATM

16 hours ago, zydeco said:

Alright, Thailand, whose side you on?

Yesterday:

DPM Prawit expressed admiration for China’s effort on South China Sea matter

16 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

OK... when China stops flexing muscle in SE Asia, India, Pakistan, Africa and the South Pacific.. oh.. and central Asia.. 

 

I work on offshore installations in SEA and there are CONSTANTLY Chinese navy vessels patrolling areas that are clearly not shipping lanes. Some even go so far as to harass local ships and government vessels. Its nuts. I saw the Chinese literally run Malaysian Navy ships out of their own oil & gas sites in their own territory. 

16 hours ago, zydeco said:

Alright, Thailand, whose side you on?

 

Whatever side they believe benefits them the best today. They will sway whatever way benefits them, as they have done throughout history. They have very little morals. 

3 hours ago, Traubert said:

None of which you could spit on from America, but most of who have American military bases.

 

So who is flexing muscle? China has ONE overseas base, America, 700. Pack your **it and go home. No-one wants you now.

The number of American bases globally is a fact which seems unrelated to China's claims to nearly the entire South China sea. Are you saying that you support the Chinese claim as legitimate? And that other Nation's claims are illigitimate? Do you think that China's position on the matter is correct?

    The South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the English Channel, are just names on the World maps, They are not owned by their name sakes, So China has gone too far by occupying islands that are not in its legal coast line, end of story, its the Chinese flexing its muscle's. Other countries have the legal right to claim these island's, if International laws on the rights of  coastal limits are adhered to.

2 hours ago, Thainesss said:

 

Whatever side they believe benefits them the best today. They will sway whatever way benefits them, as they have done throughout history. They have very little morals. 

 

They have very little morals. 

Rubbish. They are pragmatic, which is how they avoided being colonised by Britain or France.

How long do you think they could last against the Chinese?

4 hours ago, Tug said:

Ahhh no China and if we had leadership here in the USA the worlds naval forces would all be steaming through there showing the flag!

I do think international law needs to be enforced by continuous freedom of the seas passage by all nations using the South China Sea. Any recognition of the unilateral seizing of contested territories is an encouragement. This whether we are discussing the South China Sea or Russia's unilateral seizing of the Crimea. Diplomatic mutually agreed upon solutions can be done but not this unilateral action.

43 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

They have very little morals. 

Rubbish. They are pragmatic, which is how they avoided being colonised by Britain or France.

How long do you think they could last against the Chinese?

 

How long? About a nanosecond. 

Yeah, they never got colonized which is their great claim to fame but they did allow death camps and the Japanese invasion. Plenty of things to ridicule, but Thailand does what's best for Thailands elite (regardless of who it is or who is in power) and spends more time using its military against its own people and government than it does actually defending itself. 

 

Everyone in SEA just sits around and allows China to do whatever it wants, welcoming them without challenge, and the world just allows it. 

2 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

Everyone in SEA just sits around and allows China to do whatever it wants, welcoming them without challenge, and the world just allows it. 

I remember when the west last decided to stop China in SEA. 56 thousand dead later they ran away.

Do you or yours want to die to stop them now?

 

I blame Nixon/ Kissinger for recognising China in the first place.

Yeah US, stop your muscleling in the South China Sea! Leave that to China vis-a-vis The Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. A true irony by Wei Fenghe.

56 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I remember when the west last decided to stop China in SEA. 56 thousand dead later they ran away.

Do you or yours want to die to stop them now?

 

I blame Nixon/ Kissinger for recognising China in the first place.

 

Of course not but that doesn't mean that people need to kowtow to them. 

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

They have very little morals. 

Rubbish. They are pragmatic, which is how they avoided being colonised by Britain or France.

How long do you think they could last against the Chinese?

About as long as they did the Japanese 

7 hours ago, Traubert said:

None of which you could spit on from America, but most of who have American military bases.

 

So who is flexing muscle? China has ONE overseas base, America, 700. Pack your **it and go home. No-one wants you now.

Bases are usually by mutual agreement so they are a bit like a vote. The current vote is US 700, China 1 and is not likely to change much until China fixes its stone age views on democracy and democratic principles.

 

This is result of stealing technology from western co. during 2 decades. Now, China has the idea about ruling the world. Feeding hungry Chinese was not a good idea ????????. It seems there were some miscalculation. 

I thought trump was going to keep the US to itself. Like hong kong is an issue between china and hong kong.

 

What area does the US have in south china sea.

The article rightly mentions Taiwan several times. That's the key issue for China.

24 minutes ago, Sujo said:

I thought trump was going to keep the US to itself. Like hong kong is an issue between china and hong kong.

 

Southeast Asia, much like the middle east, is directly tied to the USA through allies and trade. But you knew that. 

 

25 minutes ago, Sujo said:

What area does the US have in south china sea.

They have allies and bases all over the area. 

 

But you knew that too. You just couldn't resist telling us you can't stop thinking about Trump.

5 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Southeast Asia, much like the middle east, is directly tied to the USA through allies and trade. But you knew that. 

 

They have allies and bases all over the area. 

 

But you knew that too. You just couldn't resist telling us you can't stop thinking about Trump.

Trade and bases all over the world. So trump lied when he said they can all look after themselves.

 

Does US trade with hong kong and china? Why then say its a matter for them to decide.

 

Get rudy involved.

China will not be happy until they control the whole area,,,,,,,the yellow crawl will take over.

They need to be told on no uncertain terms that they do not own it.

ASEAN should act but scared that the back pocket balance will hurt

29 minutes ago, Sujo said:

So trump lied when he said they can all look after themselves.

 

You're doing that thing again where you make stuff up and/or take things completely out of context. 

Can you imagine, the Danes wiothd claim the Haisborough Sands, Hammond's Knoll and Scroby Sands, simply because they were there the first ?

 

As THIS is, what the Chinese do with all shallow water areas in teh South Chinese Sea.

12 hours ago, Traubert said:

None of which you could spit on from America, but most of who have American military bases.

 

So who is flexing muscle? China has ONE overseas base, America, 700. Pack your **it and go home. No-one wants you now.

One small tiny difference: the USA is there on invitation of the country the base is. Not like the Chinese: just take what your navy can get.