Four nations' slandering?on maritime issues rejected

The Foreign Ministry said China has lodged a solemn protest after the United States ganged up with three Asia-Pacific allies to hype up the so-called "China threat" during last week's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

These countries aimed to use issues related to the East China Sea and South China Sea to "sow discord and incite confrontation" among countries in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the defense ministers of the US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines held talks on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

According to a joint statement issued on the website of the US Department of Defense, the four countries accused China of "destabilizing actions" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and expressed concern about "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion".

In response, Lin, the spokesman, said that bloc-based politics and bloc confrontation are products of the Cold War mentality, and they run counter to the trend of the times and are not welcomed by countries in this region.

Such acts "will neither solve any problems nor intimidate China", Lin said.

China's determination and will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests remain firm and unwavering, he added.

China urges the US and its allies to stop slandering, distorting the truth or reversing right and wrong on maritime issues, the spokesman said.

Beijing urges these countries to stop creating various exclusive cliques and stop disrupting the joint efforts made by the parties concerned in resolving issues through dialogue and consultation and maintaining regional peace and stability, he added.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn