Senator Jim Webb speaks on South China Sea
VNA - On July 25, US Senator Jimm Webb said China ’s recent actions to unilaterally assert control of disputed territories in the East Sea may be a violation of international law.
Delivering a speech on the Senate floor, Webb, who is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, said that China’s establishment of what it calls “Sansha City prefectural zone” is literally the unilateral creation from nowhere of a governmental body in an area that is claimed also by Vietnam
According to him, China ’s refusal to resolve these issues in a multilateral forum is contrary to Beijing ’s own statements about their willingness to work with ASEAN to try to develop some sort of Code of Conduct.
One day earlier, Senator John McCain has called the decision by China ’s Central Military Commission to deploy troops to islands in the East Sea , which are also claimed by Vietnam , is “unnecessarily provocative”.
The Republican Senator said on July 24 that China ’s appointment of legislators to govern islands and waters in the East Sea “only reinforces why many Asian countries are increasingly concerned about China ’s expansive territorial claims,” which have “no basis in international law.”
He also stressed the need to continue to urge all parties with territorial claims in the East Sea to seek a peaceful, multilateral resolution that is based on international law and upholds the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters.-VNA
