Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken today for the US to “not add fuel. in the fire“ in the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, AFP reported, BTA reported.
The top US and Chinese diplomats spoke on the sidelines of an ASEAN regional summit in Laos. The confrontation between Beijing and Manila has intensified in recent months, with one of the main sources of tension being the disputed Second Thomas Atoll in the South China Sea, according to AFP. There is a stranded ship there that is inhabited by Filipino soldiers. Manila deliberately sent the vessel in 1999 to assert its claim of sovereignty over the atoll.
Despite the tensions, Beijing and Manila held talks this month and reached an interim agreement that settles the issue of supplying Philippine troops to the atoll. “The US should not add fuel to the fire and create trouble and undermine stability,” Van told Blinken at their meeting today in the Lao capital of Vientiane.
„The Philippines must keep its word and stop sending construction materials” of Thomas the Second, the Chinese foreign minister said in a statement released by his ministry.
Beijing regularly accuses Manila of sending construction materials to the atoll to shore up the stranded ship, which is in poor condition, and to assert its sovereignty claims. China claims much of the reefs in the South China Sea, and other neighboring countries (Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia) also have competing claims. However, the Sino-Philippines confrontation is fueling fears of a potential conflict that could lead to Washington's intervention due to its mutual defense treaty with Manila, notes AFP.