Asian countries should beware of the United States as it presents a "huge security risk" to the region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi cautioned in a press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein on Tuesday (Oct. 13).
China: The U.S. presents a risk to Asia
Wang was responding to a Xinhua reporter on the question on what China thinks of the impact the U.S.'s "Indo-Pacific strategy" has on Asia.
Wang pointed out that that the U.S. intends to build an "Indo-Pacific NATO underpinned by the quadrilateral mechanism involving the U.S., Japan, India and Australia", in a strategy that harkened back to the Cold War.
Wang in Malaysia on Oct. 13. (Image via China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The U.S. is trying to "stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs, and stoke geopolitical competition while maintaining its own predominance and hegemony system," Wang said in the second stop of his four-nation tour of Southeast Asia.
"This strategy goes against the mutually beneficial and cooperative spirit of Asia, clashes with Asean centrality, and harms the tranquility and future development of the region," he added. He continued:
"In this sense, this strategy itself is a huge security risk. If forcefully implemented, not only would history regress, but it shall also lead to danger.
I believe that all Asian countries will be sufficiently clear about this and stay vigilant."
Wang has previously blasted the U.S.'s Indo-Pacific strategy back in 2018, saying it "may get some attention, but will soon dissipate" like sea foam.
The strategy, introduced by the Trump administration, is said by analysts to be an attempt to curb China's rise in the region.
China and Asean should protect the peace in the South China Sea
In addition, Wang commented on the South China Sea.
"Both parties should work together to remove external disruption in the South China Sea," Wang said, according to Beijing News.
He added:
"China and Malaysia are all of the view that the South China Sea should not be a ground for major power wrestling teeming with warships.
China and Asean countries have the complete power, wisdom and responsibility to preserve the peace and stability of the South China Sea."
Beijing's claims in the South China Sea encompass 90 per cent of the waters through its nine-dash line, and overlap with the claims of Taiwan and some Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
The U.S. champions "a free and open Indo-Pacific" that is not dominated by any power, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 13, adding that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea are "completely unlawful".
Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here
Top image via The Beijing News