By Franz-Stefan Gady
In response to a letter by four US Senators to the Departments of Defense and State, Beijing tries to ridicule the US.
Last week, four U.S. Senators sent a letter (PDF) to the U.S. secretaries of defense and state highlighting China’s alleged “aggressive” behavior in pushing its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The senators also bemoaned the lack of a comprehensive U.S. strategy for the maritime commons of the Indo-Pacific region.
The letter, written by the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, John McCain, Bob Corker, Bob Menendez, and Jack Reed, emphatically tries to refute Chinese claims that Beijing’s reclamation program in the South China Sea “does not target or affect anyone.”
“We disagree”, the letter tersely notes, pointing out that the People’s Republic “at a minimum” violates the 2002 joint Sino-ASEAN “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” which stipulates that the signing parties should “exercise self-constraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat