Chinese aggression in South China Sea cannot be tolerated: US

Hearing convened to examine China's intentions, consider strategies to counter Beijing's efforts to expand influence in this vital region

Asserting that the United States must continue to strongly support its allies and its interests in the region, a top Republican lawmaker has said that the Chinese aggression in South China Sea cannot be tolerated.

"China's aggressive tactics of bullying and coercion in the South China Sea cannot be tolerated," Congresswoman Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Chairwoman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, said yesterday.

"We must continue to strongly support our allies and our interests in the region and make it clear to the rulers in Beijing that the South China Sea and the western Pacific are not theirs for the taking," she said.

Ros-Lehtinen has convened a hearing of House Foreign Affairs Committee on September 12 on 'Beijing as an Emerging Power in the South China Sea'.

The hearing will focus on China's aggressive policies and expanding influence in the South China Sea and examine current US policy in the region.

"This hearing will examine China's intentions and consider strategies to counter Beijing's efforts to expand its influence in this vital region," Ros-Lehtinen said.

The US must take decisive action to ensure that aggression is not rewarded, or otherwise the world will soon face even greater threats from an emboldened Beijing, the Congresswoman claimed.

Meanwhile, the State Department has expressed its concern over growing tension in South China Sea. "We are concerned about tension in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," the State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at a news conference here.

"We want to see with regard to the Senkakus, Japan and China work together. Good relations between them are important for each of them. They're also important for the region and important for our interests," Nuland said.