Secretary Of State John Kerry Supports Stability In The South China Sea

Secretary Of State John Kerry Supports Stability In The South China Sea

US Secretary of State John Kerry indicated that the air defense identification zone of China will not discourage US military operations in the East China Sea. John Kerry added that additional unilateral actions should not be undertaken by China similar to its declaration in November 23.

A confrontation between a Chinese military ship and US Navy vessel occurred last December 5 at the South China Sea. He said stability and peace in the region are the major priorities of the US and countries located in the region.

Disaster response and maritime patrol assistance will be increased by the US in Southeast Asia, John Kerry revealed. A Global Times editorial indicated that the confrontation between the US and Chinese vessels posed a national security threat, since the US ship came close to the Liaoning aircraft carrier of China.

The official Xinhua News Agency of China revealed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China informed Kerry last December 15 that he is hoping for deeper strategic trust and cooperation between the two countries.

Colonel Steve Warren revealed that the situation was not a crisis-level event, and tensions were not heightened. He added that none of the procedures were changed after the incident. A protest was lodged by the US government following the incident between the Chinese navy ship and USS Cowpens.

However, China indicated that the US naval vessel was harassing the Liaoning formation. It also appeared to take offensive actions during the incident. A spokeswoman from the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated that China values overflight and freedom of navigation based on international laws.

The statement comes as John Kerry is set to visit the Philippines and Vietnam, which highlights the importance of Southeast Asia with the increasing assertiveness of China in the sea and air.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday December 18 2013, 3:09 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0