United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged caution on Sunday (November 21) after China said it would continue to build military and civilian facilities on disputed artificial islands that have been seen as a provocation by the United States.
“On the competing claims in the South China Sea I have consistently said all parties should exercise the utmost restrain and resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner through dialogue and in conformity in international law,” said Ban during a meeting with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia.
China, which claims almost the entire energy-rich South China Sea, has been transforming reefs into artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago and building airfields and other facilities on some of them. That has prompted concerns in Washington and across the region that Beijing is trying to militarize its claims in the South China Sea. China, in turn, has accused the United States of testing it by sending warships through the area.
China’s claims overlap with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei.
The ASEAN summit is traditionally an economic forum for the region and its trade partners, but this year’s conference has been overshadowed by the territorial disputes and security against extremist groups. (Reuters)
