Chinese Embassy in Manila downplays Ambassador O’Brien’s statements
MANILA – Describing US National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien’s statements as “some unreasonable remarks,” the Chinese Embassy in Manila said the American diplomat who visited Viet Nam and Manila “accused China on no ground, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, deliberately exaggerated regional tensions and attempted to sow discord between China and the Philippines.”
“We firmly oppose these remarks which are full of Cold War mentality and wantonly incite confrontation. It shows that his visit to this region is not to promote regional peace and stability, but to create chaos in the region in order to seek selfish interests of the U.S.,” the Chinese Embassy statement released late Monday night revealed.
Calling it a way to “safeguard its regional and global hegemony,” the statement said the US has regarded itself as “patron” and “judge” of regional countries and directly intervened in the South China Sea and other concerns.
The statement accused the United States has attempted to stir confrontation among the countries in the region and interfered in China’s and relevant ASEAN countries to peacefully negotiate and manage disputes as well as seriously undermined regional peace and stability.
The statement disclosed the United States has continuously refused to join the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) but still talked much of it and abused its provisions everywhere, “infringing upon the maritime rights and interests of other countries.”
“The US is not a party to the South China Sea dispute but it frequently sends warships and planes to the South China Sea on numerous occasions for military provocations, goes as far as using the electronic codes of civil aviation planes of the Philippines and other regional countries to carry our espionage flights in the SCS,” the statement added. (Melo M. Acuña)
