CANBERRA, Australia,
April 1 (UPI) - A top U.S. Navy commander said China's construction of
artificial islands in the South China Sea is unprecedented and Asia's largest
economy is creating a "great wall of sand" that is drawing the ire of
neighboring countries.
.jpg) |
Chinese
land reclamation at Johnson South reef. China’s creation of artificial land
through the pumping of sand onto live coral reefs has created 1.5 square miles
of artificial landmass, said U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Harry Harris
|
U.S. Pacific Fleet
Commander Harry Harris said Tuesday
that China's creation of artificial land through the pumping of sand onto live
coral reefs has created 1.5 square miles of artificial landmass.
"China's pattern of
provocative actions toward smaller claimant states...is inconsistent with
international law," Harris said in a speech at the Australian Strategic
Policy Institute.
The BBC reported China
has claims over waters in the
South China Sea that conflict with Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan.
All countries are locked
in a dispute over the Spratly Islands.
Tensions have escalated
in recent years over territory in the South China Sea. The Philippines has
filed a complaint with the U.N.'s Permanent Court of Arbitration. China,
however, has refused to respond to the complaint.
China has justified its
activities near the Spratly Islands by insisting land reclamation is for the
"purpose of improving the working and living conditions of people
stationed on these islands."
Harris said the United
States and other countries urge all those involved in the territorial dispute
to follow the 2002 China-ASEAN "Declaration of Conduct," and that all
parties conform to the exercise of self-restraint that can prevent the
escalation of tensions.
But China's increasing
activities in the South China Sea have provoked the anger of nearby nations.
The BBC reported
anti-China violence erupted in Vietnam after China relocated a drilling rig
into disputed waters near the Paracel Islands.
Source: upi.com
