Reuters
June 1, 2014
The United States and China
squared off at an Asian security forum on Saturday, with the U.S.
defense secretary accusing Beijing of destabilizing the region and a top
Chinese general retorting that his comments were “threat and
intimidation”.
Using unusually strong language,
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel took aim at Beijing’s handling of
territorial disputes with its Asian neighbors.
“In recent months, China has
undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the
South China Sea,” Hagel said.
He warned Beijing that the
United States was committed to its geopolitical rebalance to the
Asia-Pacific region and “will not look the other way when fundamental
principles of the international order are being challenged”.
