China warns US, India against joint patrols

“No cooperation between any countries should be directed at a third party,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in an emailed statement to Reuters, in response to a request for comment on the report. 

“Countries from outside the area must stop pushing forward the militarisation of the South China Sea, cease endangering the sovereignty and national security of littoral countries in the name of ‘freedom of navigation’ and harming the peace and stability of the region.” 

The United States wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to adopt a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tension has spiked since Beijing’s construction of seven islands in the Spratly archipelago. China lays claim to most of the South China Sea, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival rights. 

A US defence official told Reuters this week the United States and India had held talks about joint naval patrols that could include the South China Sea. The Indian navy has never carried out joint patrols with another country and a navy spokesman told Reuters there was no change in the government’s policy of only joining an international military effort under the UN flag. 

“We hope that the relevant parties speak and act with caution, refrain from intervening in the South China Sea issue, and especially avoid being manipulated by certain countries and ultimately harming their own interests.”