US Urges China To Stop Provocations In SCS!

The United States is urging China to cease “provocative behaviour” and to respect international law in the South China Sea conflict.

This is what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is saying in reaffirming its July 13, 2020 policy regarding maritime claims in the SCS.

“The United States reaffirms its July 13, 2020 policy regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea. We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defence commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defence Treaty,” Blinken is reported as saying on Sunday.

The report from Sputnik also says the secretary of state accused China of “coercing and intimidating” Southeast Asian coastal states.

The US now claims there was a major threat to maritime order in the South China Sea.

“We call on the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to abide by its obligations under international law, cease its provocative behaviour, and take steps to reassure the international community that it is committed to the rules-based maritime order that respects the rights of all countries, big and small,” says Blinken.

Earlier, China made a call on both the US and Japan to stop promoting the idea of the Chinese threat in the region.

Instead, Beijing says, instead they should work toward peace and stability in the region.