Admiral Sun Jianguo, China's deputy chief
of joint staff, said China will "not accept or participate in the
so-called arbitration" due shortly in a ruling from the United Nations'
arbitration court at The Hague in the Netherlands regarding a territorial
dispute in the South China Sea.
The case was put forth in January 2013 by the
Philippines, which along with Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam, lays claim to
parts of the disputed area. Sun said the Philippine petition goes against a
bilateral understanding to resolve the issue through negotiations. "The
purpose of the Philippines is to cover up its illegal occupancy," Sun
said.
Sun was speaking at a three-day security conference in
Singapore at which defense ministers from the U.S. and Japan called on all
disputants in the South China Sea, including China, to abide by the court
ruling.
At a question-and-answer session on Sunday, the last day
of the 15th Asia Security Summit, Sun responded directly to comments made by
Ashton Carter, the U.S. secretary of defense, on Saturday calling on China to
be "an open, inclusive, and responsible participant" in regional
efforts to foster peace.
Carter said that if China continues with reclamation and
militarization in the disputed waters, it risked "erecting a great wall of
self-isolation". Sun derided this comment, indicating that it arose from a
"prejudiced, Cold War mentality".
"I worry that some countries build up wars in their
minds and isolate themselves," Sun said. "We were not isolated in the
past, we are not isolated now, and we will never be in the future."
Sun also spoke of his interactions with other ministers
at the summit. "Most are warmer and friendlier than last year, and they
showed respect and trust," Sun said directly after his allusion to Carter.
China has reclaimed and militarized land in the South
China Sea by creating artificial islands and building installations, including
runways. This has heightened tensions with the Philippines in particular, as
well as Vietnam and elsewhere within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
Sun also struck back with criticism of recent U.S.
military deployments in the region, including ships and aircraft. He said
freedom of navigation rights should not be used to "openly show military
muscle".
In an effort to drive a wedge between Southeast Asia and
the U.S., Sun spoke of bilateral cooperation with a number of ASEAN countries.
"China and ASEAN are capable of stabilizing the region," he said.
"Countries outside should play a constructive role, not the other way
round." TOMOMI KIKUCHI, Nikkei staff writer
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