It was no time to “make waves” in the disputed South China Sea and dance behind a “Pied Piper”, China’s official news agency warned Sunday, after US said it would shift the bulk of its naval fleet to the Pacific Ocean by 2020.
“It is advisable for some to refrain from muddying the waters and fishing therein and for some others to desist from dancing behind a Pied Piper whose magic tone, as tempting as it is, might lead its followers astray,” said Xinhua in a commentary, referring to the sea, which is part of the Pacific and the subject of overlapping territorial claims.
China claims the South China Sea in full, and is also claimed in whole or part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The much-hyped China threat to the freedom of navigation in South China Sea is a pure invention, Xinhua said.
“China has seen its political, economic and military strengths growing markedly, fabricating new claims is not in its blood,” said the agency.
It was Beijing’s “genuine wish” to turn the South China Sea “into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” added Xinhua, in the commentary titled ‘Not to make waves in South China Sea’.
In a major re-posturing, US Saturday announced it will shift the bulk of its naval fleet including as many as six aircraft carriers to the Pacific by 2020 as part of new strategic focus on Asia.
The decision to deploy more warships to the Pacific Ocean, defence secretary Leon Panetta said, was part of a “steady, deliberate” effort to bolster the US role in the area, deemed vital to American interest recently by President Barack Obama.
