US South China Sea stand new but no surprise, analysts say
- American position meant to drive a wedge between China and other claimants, analyst says
- United States is also ‘changing its attitude to peaceful resolution’ of the disputes
03:23
The South China Sea dispute explained
03:23
The South China Sea dispute explained
03:23
The South China Sea dispute explained
“The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire,” Pompeo said, adding that the US stood with its Southeast Asian allies “in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources”.
The paper was a sharp contrast to 1995 when the State Department released the “US Policy on Spratly Islands and South China Sea”, saying the US took no position on the legal merits of the competing claims to sovereignty over the various islands, reefs, atolls, and cays in the waters.
03:23
The South China Sea dispute explained
But while Monday’s statement was explicit and strongly worded, it did not add much of substance to the position the US has taken since the 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration to deny China’s claims, observers said.