China's
government sought to downplay fears of conflict in the South China Sea after an
influential state-run newspaper said on Tuesday that Beijing should prepare for
military confrontation.
Editorials
in the Global Times newspaper ahead of a July 12 international court ruling on
competing claims in the South China Sea by China and the Philippines said the
dispute had already been complicated by U.S. intervention.
It faced
further escalation due to the threat posed by The Hague-based tribunal to
China's sovereignty, the paper said.
"Washington
has deployed two carrier battle groups around the South China Sea, and it wants
to send a signal by flexing its muscles: As the biggest powerhouse in the
region, it awaits China's obedience," the Global Times said.
The paper
said China should speed up development of its military deterrence. While it
could not keep up with the United States in the short-term, "it should be
able to let the U.S. pay a cost it cannot stand if it intervenes in the South
China Sea dispute by force," the paper said.
"China
hopes disputes can be resolved by talks, but it must be prepared for any
military confrontation. This is common sense in international relations."
Asked
about the editorials and whether conflict could break out in the South China
Sea, where China's territorial claims overlap in parts with Vietnam, the
Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Hong Lei said Beijing was committed to peace.
"China
will work with ASEAN countries to safeguard the peace and stability of the
South China Sea," he told a news briefing, referring to the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations.
"As
for the relevant dispute, China does not accept any decision imposed by a third
party as a means of resolution, nor any solution plan that is forced upon
China."
NATIONALIST
VIEWS
The
Global Times is published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's
Daily, and while it is widely read in policy-making circles it does not have
the same mouthpiece function as its parent and its editorials cannot be viewed
as representing government policy.
It is
also well-known for its extreme nationalist views.
In
Washington on Tuesday, a former top Chinese official said China would not
resort to force "unless challenged by armed provocation," but had had
enough of Western "bullying."
Dai Bingguo,
Beijing's former state councillor, dismissed the court ruling as "nothing
more than a piece of paper," but said there was an "urgent
priority" to stop the case.
"No
country" should try to force China to implement it "otherwise China
will not sit idle," he said at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace think tank, adding that if Washington was committed to peace, it should
"oppose or restrain provocations by certain countries against China."
Dai said
China would not be intimidated even if Washington sent 10 carriers to the South
China Sea, but warned that Washington "may be dragged into trouble against
its own will and pay an unexpectedly heavy price."
Regarding
the Global Times comments, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told a regular briefing
the United States did "not seek any confrontation with China" but
would maintain its "stabilizing" presence in the region.
"We’ve
pointed to the diplomatic route for resolving these issues...they should be
resolved peacefully," he said adding the ruling from the Hague would
provide an opportunity for this.
China has
been angered by U.S. patrols in the South China Sea and will be holding what
the Defence Ministry terms "routine" military drills there from
Tuesday.
Manila
has sought to reduce tensions ahead of the court decision but has resisted
pressure to ignore it.
"Nobody
wants a conflict, nobody wants to resolve our conflict in a violent manner,
nobody wants war,” Philippines Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay told ANC
television.
"The
President would like to maintain stronger, better relationships with everybody,
including China, including the United States, including Japan and all,"
Yasay said, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte, who was sworn in last week.
Yasay
said a "special envoy" was needed to help resolve the dispute with
China.
U.S.
officials have expressed concern that the court ruling could prompt Beijing to
declare an air defense identification zone over the South China Sea, one of the
world's busiest trade routes, and boost its military capabilities there.
China's
response would "fully depend" on the Philippines, the China Daily
said, citing unidentified sources. "There will be no incident at all if
all related parties put aside the arbitration results," one said.
(Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in
Manila and David Brunnstrom and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Editing by
Lincoln Feast and Andrew Hay)
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