China, ASEAN should prevent 'external disruption' in the South China Sea: Wang Yi
13 October, 2020
The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Tuesday (Oct 13) that Beijing and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should interact to eliminate "external disruption" in the South China Sea.
Wang, who's on a visit to Malaysia within a brief Southeast Asian tour, didn't elaborate.
Throughout a joint, a news conference, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said disputes over the South China Sea ought to be resolved peacefully through regional dialogue.
China, which has for a long time been locked in maritime disputes with other coastal states in the South China Sea, has lately held military exercises in disputed elements of the strategic waterway, while Washington has accused China of wanting to create a "maritime empire" in the area.
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