Two senior US senators have warned China that recent clashes with its neighbours in the South China Sea could jeopardise US “national interests” in the region, in comments likely to rankle Beijing.
“We are concerned that a series of naval incidents in recent months has raised tensions in the region,” said John Kerry, the Democratic chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, and John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate. “If appropriate steps are not taken to calm the situation, future incidents could escalate, jeopardising the vital national interests of the United States.”
The senators issued the warning, in a letter obtained by the Financial Times, to Dai Bingguo, China’s top foreign policy official, ahead of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers and their dialogue partners this week.