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The US, Australia and Japan held a trilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea this week in an apparent challenge to China’s military build-up in the region. Photo: US Pacific Fleet

US has ‘stirred up trouble’ around the world, China’s foreign minister says

  • Wang Yi also told Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh that the region should be ‘highly vigilant’ about US attempts to sabotage stability
  • Beijing is trying to mend fences with Hanoi and other neighbours amid heightened tensions with Washington over the South China Sea
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has accused the United States of stirring up trouble around the world, including in the South China Sea, as tensions worsen between the two superpowers.

During a meeting held by video link on Tuesday, Wang also told his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh that Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries should be “highly vigilant” about Washington’s attempts to sabotage stability and unity in the region.

“Some extreme forces in the US have intentionally raised ideological conflicts and even forced countries to take sides, trying to restart the notorious McCarthyism, [which goes] against the tide of history,” Wang told Pham, referring to the anti-communist crusades, led by then senator for Wisconsin Joseph McCarthy, that swept America in the 1950s.

“These people will continue their performance, but people around the world can see clearly their vicious minds [trying] to create disputes.”

Details of the meeting were released by the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) in talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh via video link on Tuesday. Photo: AP
It was the second time within a week that Wang has blasted the US during talks with a foreign counterpart. Speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by telephone on Saturday, Wang said the US had “lost its mind, morals and credibility”.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington over the disputed South China Sea. The strategic and resource-rich waterway has become a potential military flashpoint after the US formally rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Speculation is mounting that Vietnam, the most vocal regional critic of Beijing’s expansive territorial claims, could follow the Philippines and file an international lawsuit against the Chinese claims to the waters. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague invalidated those claims in a case brought by the Philippines, but Beijing has refused to recognise the ruling.

Wang raised the South China Sea issue with Pham on Tuesday, saying the two neighbours should manage the dispute through dialogue.

02:32

Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

He also accused the US of trying to jeopardise regional unity.

“The US, for strategic reasons, has stirred up trouble all around and has been sending massive warships and planes to [the South China Sea] to show off its prowess,” Wang said. “Its goal is to raise tensions and cause instability, jeopardising regional unity and sabotaging the future development of countries in the region.”

US-China tensions rising – SCMP Series

Wang also said China and Vietnam should work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to push forward a code of conduct for the South China Sea, “so that external forces will never have exploitable loopholes to disrupt and sabotage”. Beijing hopes to finalise the rule-setting document by 2021.

Pham, who is also Vietnam’s deputy prime minister, expressed concern over the latest tensions in the South China Sea and said Hanoi and Beijing should work to control their disputes instead of complicating them, according to Vietnamese news site VnExpress.

Tuesday’s meeting was widely seen as part of Beijing’s broader effort to mend fences with Hanoi and other Southeast Asian neighbours as its relations with Washington deteriorate.

03:23

The South China Sea dispute explained

The South China Sea dispute explained

Meanwhile, in an apparent challenge to China’s military build-up in the region, the US Pacific Fleet on Tuesday said the US, Australia and Japan held a trilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea this week.

The US Navy sent the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group to the drill, which began on Sunday. It was joined by the Australian Joint Task Group, led by the HMAS Canberra, and the Japanese destroyer JS Teruzuki.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US is stirring up trouble around the world, Wang tells Hanoi counterpart
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