By Amrutha Gayathri
China's
official news agency on Sunday warned US against "muddying the
waters" in the disputed zones of the South China
Sea. This was in response to Washington's statement that it would
increase its military presence in the region.
Though the US
has said that the strategic decision to significantly increase its naval
presence in the Asia Pacific by 2020 is not targeted at Beijing,
the US Secretary of Defense
Leon Panetta's plan to focus on the South China Sea dispute at the annual
Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
has reportedly been an issue of concern for the Chinese officials.
"It is advisable for some to refrain from
muddying the waters and fishing therein and for some others to desist from
dancing behind a Pied Piper whose magic tone, as tempting as it is, might lead
its followers astray," said Xinhua in a commentary, referring to the
standoff over territorial confrontations in the South
China Sea.
The US
has maintained that Washington would act to
counterbalance China's
growing influence in the South China Sea as part of its foreign policy known as
"pivot to Asia," developed in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Xinhua said the alleged threat to freedom of
navigation in the South China Sea is fabricated and that it is Beijing's
"genuine wish" to turn the South China Sea
"into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."
In his first trip to the region since the
Pentagon issued its new strategic guidance in January, Panetta will brief the
Asian allies on the regional strategies and seek to allay fears that fiscal
uncertainty could undermine Washington's
commitment to the effort.
"What we're trying to do with the swing
through Asia is to give a comprehensive account to partners and everyone in the
region about what the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific will mean in
practice," an anonymous official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The Pentagon is under financial constraint to cut
down on spending by $487 billion over the next decade, which has led to Washington's Asian allies raising doubts on whether the US will be able
to deliver what it has promised.
The recent military drills in South China Sea,
involving nearly thousands of the US
and Philippine forces, escalated the maritime tensions between Manila
and Beijing
triggered on April 10.
A top military publication in China warned in April that the US may be risking an armed confrontation by
undertaking a joint military exercise with the Philippines.
"Anyone with clear eyes saw long ago that
behind these drills is reflected a mentality that will lead the South China Sea
issue down a fork in the road towards military confrontation and resolution
through armed force," the People's Liberation Army newspaper said, according
to a Reuters report.
"Through this kind of meddling and
intervention, the United States
will only stir up the entire South China Sea
situation towards increasing chaos, and this will inevitably have a massive
impact on regional peace and stability."
China
lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea,
including what is recognized by the UN as the Exclusive Economic Zone of other
neighbors, according to reports.
Courtesy:
International Business Times
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