Reaffirms China Will Not Oppress Its Neighbors In The South China Sea, Foreign Minister Wang Yi: Unilateral Claims Are Not Correct

Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. (Wikimedia Commons/Palácio do Planalto)

JAKARTA - China will not use its power to 'oppress' its smaller neighbours, including the Philippines, its foreign minister said on Monday, as he highlighted the importance of resolving disputes in the South China Sea peacefully.

"Stressing only one-sided claims and imposing one's own will on the other is not the right way for neighbors to treat each other and it goes against the oriental philosophy of how people should get along with one another," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at the virtual forum organized by the Chinese embassy in Manila and local advocacy groups, citing Reuters Jan. 17.

His remarks came less than two months after the Philippines condemned the blocking of a Chinese military supply ship in the South China Sea, prompting warnings from Manila's ally the United States that an attack on a Philippine vessel would trigger its joint defense commitments.

It is known that China's vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, which it says are based on historical maps, have put it at odds with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, which have competing claims over the islands and features.

China has been accused by Western countries of aggression and provocation, deploying hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in the exclusive economic zone of its neighbors, including the Philippines, far from its mainland.

The Bamboo Curtain country claimed his actions were justified, because the ships were in its territory. Meanwhile, the Philippines has objected to what it calls "attacks" and "swarming".

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China hopes with the Philippines to "manage and solve problems properly in the spirit of goodwill and pragmatism".

Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying told the forum that China hopes whoever wins the Philippines presidential election this May can "tactfully, boldly, responsibly carry out the Philippines' independent foreign policy."