Foreign Interference in South China Sea Unwarranted

US accusations of China militarizing the South China Sea is only “noise” to intentionally destabilize the region and counter China, Iran’s ambassador in China, Ali Asghar Khaji, said Saturday.

“The issue of South China Sea should be resolved among China and the countries in the region through dialogue,” Khaji told the Global Times.

“Countries in the region are mature enough to do so, so there’s no need for foreign interferences such as from the US,” said Khaji.

China regards its sovereignty in the South China Sea as having legitimate rights to build facilities on its own islands. The US has routinely accused China of militarizing the islands in the region.

The latest US accusation on June 2 came from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who said the US would take additional steps against China if “militarization” of the South China Sea continues. He did not elaborate.

“The US has always implemented policies to destabilize regions in the world and create crisis and trouble in different regions. This is just one example of those policies,” the envoy said.

“Besides this policy, the US is also trying to contain China by repeatedly creating such noise.”