Alwaght | News & Analysis Website

Alwaght- China’s defense minister has warned the US not to threaten its sovereignty and security interests following last week’s provocation by US warships in the South China Sea.
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan  issued the verbal warning to US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, where the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense chiefs meeting was taking place.
Chang stressed that the US should not pursue any other dangerous actions that threaten China’s security interests.
China’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday said Beijing “regretted” the failure to reach a common position at the Malaysia talks, blaming “some particular countries from outside the region.” The Chinese defense minister, Gen. Chang Wanquan, said the issue of freedom of navigation “should not be hyped or even become an excuse for provocation,” according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
Last Tuesday, the USS Lassen passed through a 12-mile limit around Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands archipelago. The reef is one of seven that China has artificially reinforced to support its claim on the archipelago and the sea around it.
Beijing protested the USS Lassen mission in the South China Sea, accusing the US of escalating tensions in the region.
"The actions of the US warship have threatened China's sovereignty and security interests, jeopardized the safety of personnel and facilities on the reefs, and damaged regional peace and stability,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The US replied to the criticism by stating it would sail and fly wherever it wants in international waters and airspace.
“The US has conducted naval operations in the South China Sea in recent days and will conduct similar operations in the future,” Carter said.
China is asserting its sovereignty at the South China Sea, through which one of the busiest maritime traffic lines goes. The sea itself is rich in energy resources as well, with an estimated 12 billion barrels or untapped reserves under it. In addition to China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan claim sovereignty of parts of South China Sea.
Last Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that a ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal a day earlier on the jurisdiction and admissibility of the South China Sea is null and void, and has no binding effect on China.
The tribunal, established at the request of the Philippines, ruled that it can take on the case over the South China Sea dispute.
"The result of the ruling will by no means affect China's sovereignty and rights on the South China Sea." Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said Friday in a media briefing.
China's sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea are grounded in history and protected under international laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry.
The statement also said that the Philippines' decision to seek arbitration was "a political provocation under the cloak of law."
"The motivation [behind] the arbitration is not to settle disputes, but an attempt to negate China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea for its own sake." Liu said.
He reiterated China's position of "non-acceptance and non-participation" in the proceedings.