‘South China Sea Not China’s Maritime Empire’: US Wants Free Nations to Resolve Dispute

It must be noted that the South China Sea is grouped into three archipelagos. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory and it has aggressively asserted its stake in recent years.

New Delhi: The US yet again luanched an attack on China, but this time it was about Beijing’s illegal territorial claims in the strategic waters of South China Sea. State Secretary Mike Pompeo on Saturday stressed that Washington’s policy in the region is crystal clear and said that the disputed territory in the South China Sea (SCS) is “not China’s maritime empire”. He also hinted that free nations should come come together to fight it.

“The United States’ policy is crystal clear: The South China Sea is not China’s maritime empire. If Beijing violates international law and free nations do nothing, history shows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will simply take more territory. China Sea disputes must be resolved through international law,” “Pompeo said in a tweet. It must be noted that the South China Sea is grouped into three archipelagos. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory and it has aggressively asserted its stake in recent years.

This comes weeks after the United States officially dismissed China’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea and termed Beijing’s campaign of bullying to control them as “completely unlawful”.

Earlier on July 13, Pompeo had issued a statement on the US position on maritime claims in the South China Sea, saying that the Chinese government has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region.