South China Sea: Beijing urges Southeast Asian nations to ‘cherish peace’ and help stop tensions spiralling out of control
- Senior diplomat Liu Zhenmin tells Boao Forum in Hainan countries should resolve their disputes on a regional basis and warns outsiders not to ‘fan the flames’
- Liu was speaking after a series of clashes between China and the Philippines that have prompted increasing concern from the US and Japan
Liu, who was responsible for South China Sea affairs as vice-minister for foreign affairs before taking a senior United Nations role in 2017, said Beijing and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should seek bilateral or regional solutions to their territorial disputes through negotiation.
“People in East Asian countries should be aware of and cherish the three-decade-long regional peace since the end of the Cold War, and efforts should be spared to prevent new conflicts from emerging in the South China Sea,” Liu told a panel discussion about the disputed waterway.
He warned: “The past year has witnessed closer military cooperation among the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Many are concerned that this would trigger another conflict in Southeast Asia.”
