US, China conflict over South China Sea at high-level UNSC assembly chaired by India

The US and China on Monday clashed throughout a high-level assembly on maritime safety chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Washington asserting it has seen “provocative actions” to advance illegal maritime claims within the South China Sea by Beijing which retorted that America shouldn’t be certified to make “irresponsible remarks” on the problem.
Prime Minister Modi chaired the digital high-level open debate on maritime safety, one of many three signature occasions of India’s present Presidency of the highly effective 15-nation UN physique. The assembly was later chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as overseas ministers and UN envoys made their nationwide statements.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke of “some of the critical areas where we see maritime rules and principles under threat.”
“In the South China Sea, we have seen dangerous encounters between vessels at sea and provocative actions to advance unlawful maritime claims,” Blinken mentioned, in a thinly-veiled assault on China which claims nearly all the 1.3 million square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory.
China has been constructing navy bases on synthetic islands within the area additionally claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

“The United States has made clear its concerns regarding actions that intimidate and bully other states from lawfully accessing their maritime resources. And we and other countries including South China Sea claimants have protested such behavior and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea,” Blinken mentioned.
“Some might assert that resolving the dispute within the South China Sea shouldn’t be the enterprise of the United States or some other nation that’s not a claimant to the islands and waters. But it’s the enterprise, and much more, the accountability of each Member State to defend the principles that we’ve all agreed to comply with and peacefully resolve maritime disputes.

“Conflict in the South China Sea or in any ocean would have serious global consequences for security and for commerce. What’s more, when a State faces no consequences for ignoring these rules, it fuels greater impunity and instability everywhere,” Blinken mentioned.
China’s Deputy Permanent Representative Dai Bing, talking final within the assembly, mentioned that he needs to “point out that the Security Council is not the right place to discuss the issue of the South China Sea. The US just mentioned the South China Sea issue and China firmly opposes this act.”
He mentioned that at current “with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea remains generally stable. All countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.”
The Chinese diplomat mentioned that Beijing is “determined and able to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Hitting out at Washington, he mentioned the US itself shouldn’t be certified to make irresponsible remarks on the problem of the South China Sea.
“The US has been stirring up bother out of nothing, arbitrarily sending superior navy vessels and plane into the South China Sea as provocations and publicly making an attempt to drive a wedge into regional international locations, particularly international locations involved.
“This country itself has become the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea. The US itself does not join the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) but considers itself a judge of the Convention pointing fingers at other countries,” he mentioned, including that Washington has no credibility on maritime points.
“The United States’ hype in the Security Council is entirely politically motivated. The South China Sea arbitration tribunal violated the Principle of State consent,” the Chinese diplomat mentioned, including that “there were obvious errors in the determination of facts and application of the law and its award was invalid and without any binding force.”
He mentioned China and ASEAN international locations are dedicated to completely and successfully implementing the declaration below the Conduct of Parties within the South China Sea and try to succeed in the code of conduct within the South China Sea at an early date.
Blinken referred to the unanimous and legally binding choice 5 years in the past by the arbitral tribunal constituted below the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention “firmly rejecting unlawful, expansive South China Sea maritime claims as being inconsistent with international law.”
He harassed that Washington has constantly referred to as for all international locations to adapt their maritime claims to the International Law of the Sea as mirrored within the 1982 conference.
“This is in keeping with the peaceful resolution of disputes and the sovereign equality of member states, which are core principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” he mentioned, including that efforts to resolve maritime disputes by risk or use of drive flout these ideas.

Blinken conveyed Washington’s gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for “bringing us together for this critically important discussion” on maritime safety and for “India’s leadership on these issues”, particularly within the Indo-Pacific.
He mentioned regardless of having a transparent physique of worldwide legislation that nations have dedicated to abide by and uphold and regardless of the indispensable function the maritime order has performed in fostering financial exercise, safety cooperation, scientific innovation, environmental sustainability, the order is below critical risk.
“That’s why I’m grateful for India’s leadership in bringing us together today and calling on all nations to recommit to defending and strengthening the maritime rules and principles that we forge together and committed to uphold.”