BEIJING: In an exclusive interview with The Straits Times, China is not making use of Covid-19 to assert its dominance in the South China Sea, said its foreign minister, Wang Yi. Instead, he said China has been working with Asean countries to beat the coronavirus.
China has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam in the South China Sea. Rebutting claims that Beijing was taking advantage of the distraction caused by the pandemic in South-east Asia, Finance Minister Wang Yi said China has been working with Asean countries to beat the coronavirus. - The Straits Times/Asian News Network, China is not making use of Covid-19 to assert its dominance in the South China Sea, said its foreign minister, Wang Yi.
China has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam in the South China Sea. Beijing recently ramped up activities in the contested waters, establishing two administrative districts on the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos last month and naming 80 islands, reefs, shoals and ridges, of which 55 are under water.
There have also been Chinese encroachments into waters near the Natuna Islands, which prompted Jakarta to send warships and fighter jets to the area in January, forcing the boats to retreat. “Their ill intentions and despicable moves are meant to sow discord between China and Asean countries and undermine the hard-won stability in the region,” he said.
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