China Criticizes New Zealand Defense Minister On South China Sea Position

At a forum in Beijing on Tuesday, China admonished New Zealand’s defense minister over his stand on tensions in the South China Sea. A top Chinese Official voiced her displeasure by saying countries not involved should not interfere.

$5 trillion worth of commercial traffic passes through the South China Sea each year. China claims this body of water almost entirely. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the sea.

In July, an international tribunal in the Hague declared that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights. It also stated they had no historic title over the waters in the area. Expectedly, Beijing dismissed the court’s authority.

Gerry Brownlee, New Zealand Defense Minister, spoke at the start of the Xiangshan forum. He said that his country opposes actions that destabilize peace and erode trust. In addition, he said they would like to see all sides actively take steps to ease those tensions.

“As a small maritime trading nation, international law and, in particular, the United Nations convention on the law of the sea is important for New Zealand. We support arbitral process and believe that countries have the right to seek that international resolution,” he said.

Chairwoman of China’s foreign affairs committee for parliament, Fu Ying, who also chairs the session, immediately made her comments after Brownlee’s remarks.

Fu said that they hope that countries who are not involved in the disputes respect the countries who are having the disputes to work among themselves. Further, she said that outside involvement or interferences can only confound the differences and sometimes add to the tension.

Several points of contention

China and New Zealand’s argument over the territorial dispute isn’t the first time.

New Zealand insisted on Chinese restraint in February when Beijing installed an advanced missile system on one of the islands. Beijing countered that New Zealand’s proposal was unconstructive.

On Tuesday, Brownlee took aim on the issue of China’s construction of artificial islands in the territory. This action has unsettled nerves around the region.

China claims a great deal of the building and reclamation effort it has been doing in the area is to benefit the international community.

The post China Criticizes New Zealand Defense Minister On South China Sea Position appeared first on Newsline.