US: China 'occupying' South China Sea areas, breaking vows

MANILA, Philippines — The reported Chinese reclamation work and large scale construction of outposts in the South China Sea are an affront to the multilateral Declaration of Conduct that China agreed to follow, a top official of the US Department of State said. 

Daniel Russel, chief of the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, denounced China's moves "occupying uninhabited land features" as going "far beyond what a reasonable person would consider with the maintenance of the status quo."

"The status quo as applied in 2002 when the ten ASEAN countries and China reached an agreement on a Declaration of Conduct that clearly and explicitly committed themselves to exercise restraint, to avoid occupying uninhabited land features, and—to paraphrase—to keep things as they were," Russel said in a phone conference with journalists in Burma on Tuesday.

He said that China's behavior does not contribute to negotiations for a code of conduct that will effectively bind rival claimant states in the strategic waterway.

Russel also reiterated Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's warning against coercion and use of force in the maritime areas as "unacceptable."

Countries embroiled in the sea row may choose diplomatic or legal means to settle outstanding issues instead, he urged.

He also maintained the US' neutral stance in the conflicting claims as it does not profit from the ultimate resolution of territorial differences.

"I think gives us a right to speak as a friendly but neutral party. And the heartfelt advice that we have issued to the concerned countries is that they should show restraint and find collaborative and diplomatic means to reconcile their differences," Russel said.

China, however, has maintained that it has the right to carry out construction activities in the South China Sea, an extensive part of which it claimed part of its inherent maritime territory.

Russel, whose position is critical in the execution of the Obama administration's foreign policy "pivot" to Asia Pacific, urged China to keep the South China Sea free.

"The South China Sea and its sea lanes are vital to the global economy ... The world needs those sea lanes to be secure. And the world needs the resources of that region to be managed in a responsible and sustainable way," he said.

He also explained that the disputed sea is home to a wealthy marine life and hydrocarbon and mineral reserves that would profit the region in its pursuit for prosperity.

Earlier this week, Russel informally proposed a moratorium on involved nations' coercive actions to assert maritime claims in the South China Sea.

He made the suggestion as “food for thought” and not as a formal proposal as he met regional counterparts in Myanmar to prepare for a regional summit later this year.

Also read: US proposes freeze on provocative maritime action

On Friday, the Philippines lodged another diplomatic protests against China’s reclamation on Kennan (Hughes) Reef in the contested maritime region.