China accuses US commander of using smears to seek defense funding

Massive land reclamation by China in the Spratlys and its other recent actions have caused concern among countries in the region and in the United States.

Beijing says continued activities by US military ships and planes near the man-made islands have sought to provoke a response from Beijing. However, given that some Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries have friendly relations with China, the worldwide community does not always act in concert regarding policies toward China and the South China Sea.

Both sides reviewed and commended the tangible achievements in their past cooperation on issues such as bilateral economic and trade ties, climate change, Iranian nuclear talks, Afghanistan, and Syrian peace talks. The Council is expected to pass a resolution on the DPRK sooner as a result. He has met with US President Barack Obama, extending greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China expressed its support to and promised to make positive contribution to the upcoming nuclear security summit to be hosted by Obama at the end of March, while the USA pledged to support China in hosting the G20 summit in September.

China has voiced strong protests since South Korea and the US jointly announced earlier this month, shortly after the North’s February 7 long-range missile test, that they would begin official discussions on the possible placement of the THAAD system in South Korea. There has been speculation that China might declare an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, similar to one it declared over the East China Sea in late 2013, to anger from Japan and the United States.

“China’s interference in a decision that’s to be made between alliance partners, the Republic of Korea and the United States, their interference in that process is preposterous, especially when you consider that THAAD is not a threat to China,” Harris told reporters at the Pentagon.

He cited the examples of US arms sales to Taiwan and reconnaissance by USA warships near Chinese territory, as well as what China sees as discriminatory laws by the USA limiting military exchanges.

The Asia Pacific region has witnessed tension after China flexed its military muscle in the South China Sea.

“We are neighbors just separated by a narrow body of water”, Wang told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

The top Chinese diplomat euphemized that that people “should use a telescope to look far into the future of the China-U.S. relationship, instead of using a microscope to magnify the current problems”. “We want to contribute to the Philippines’ economic development”.