Hanoi, Vietnam: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tried to support relations with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian countries involved in the territorial crack with China, during a two-day visit starting on Wednesday.
In a speech in Singapore, his first stop in the area he visited for the first time as a member of the cabinet of President Joe Biden, Austin said Tuesday that he was committed to pursuing a constructive and stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communication with China, including the Liberation Army People.
But he repeated that Beijing claim in almost all of the South China “ did not have a basis in international law “and` `tread in the country’s sovereignty in the region.
“He said the US continued to support coastal countries in the region in Indonesia uphold their rights under international law, and remained committed to the obligation of US defense treaties with Japan and the Philippines.
‘Unfortunately, Beijing’s reluctance to resolve peaceful disputes and respect for the law supremacy does not only occur in water, “Austin said.
“ We have also seen aggression against India …
mess up military activity and other forms of coercion towards Taiwanese people …
and genocide and crime against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
“In Beijing, Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian responded to Austin.
“ The U.S.
Ignoring the facts, deliberately smearing China, disrupting China’s internal affairs and sowing disputes between regional countries with the aim of serving its own geopolitical interests, “ Zhao told ordinary news direction.
“ We warn the US not to make problems about China in every turn and do more for peaceful interests and stability in the region.
” Austin is scheduled to meet with Vietnam partners, Phan van Giang, on Thursday morning.
He went for the Philippines on Friday.
Vietnam and the Philippines are among the most powerful opponents in China in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, where Beijing ignored his neighbor’s protest and had built several islands equipped with flying foundations and military installations.
Vietnam had previously accused China to prevent the gas exploration activities from the south coast.
Austin’s visit came when Vietnam was in the grip of the Coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in locking.
U.S has contributed 5 million doses of modern vaccines, part of 80 million doses promised by Biden to low-income countries throughout the world.