Beijing protests US and allies hyping up 'China threat'

The Foreign Ministry said China has lodged a solemn protest after the US ganged up with three Asia-Pacific allies to hype up the so-called China threat during last week's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

These countries aimed to "use the East China Sea issue and South China Sea issue to stir up confrontation among countries in the region", the ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the defense ministers of the US, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines held talks on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

According to a joint statement issued on the website of US Department of Defense, the four countries accused China of "destabilizing actions" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion".

In response, Lin, the spokesman, said engaging in bloc-based politics and bloc confrontation is of the Cold War mentality, it "runs counter to the trend of the times, and is not welcomed by countries in this region".

This "neither solves the problems nor intimidates China", Lin said.

"China's resolve and will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests remain firm and unwavering," he said.

China urges the US and its allies to stop slandering, distorting the truth or reversing right and wrong on maritime issues, Lin said.

Beijing urges these countries to stop creating various exclusive cliques and stop disrupting the joint efforts made by the parties concerned in resolving issues through dialogue and consultation and maintaining regional peace and stability, he added.