The South China Sea is grouped into three archipelagos (File)
Washington DC:
In one of the strongest attacks by the United States on Beijing’s illegal territorial claims in the strategic waters of the South China Sea, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed on Saturday that Washington’s policy in the region was crystal clear and said the disputed territory in the South China Sea (SCS) is “not China’s maritime empire.”
“The policy of the United States 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 that the Communist Party Chinese (CCP) will simply take more territory. Disputes in the China Sea must be resolved by international law, “Pompeo said in a tweet.
The South China Sea is grouped into three archipelagos. China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory and has vigorously asserted its participation in recent years.
It comes weeks after the United States officially rejected China’s claims to offshore resources in much of the South China Sea and called Beijing’s campaign of intimidation to control them “completely illegal.” .
Earlier on July 13, Pompeo issued a statement on the US position on maritime claims in the South China Sea, saying the Chinese government has no legal reason to unilaterally impose its will on the region.
Washington has announced that it is aligning the U.S. position on the Chinese government’s claims in the South China Sea with the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling.
The Trump administration has hardened its stance on Beijing, especially as relations between the two global superpowers continue to deteriorate in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as well as coercive behavior with its neighbors, including the ‘India.
