Beijing slams trilateral summit, says SCS actions 'lawful'

Beijing on Friday criticized the US, Japan and the Philippines and defended its actions in the South China Sea (SCS) as "lawful" after US President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral meeting in Washington.

-  AFP, Pia Lee-Brago

Biden on Thursday pledged to defend the Philippines from any attack in the SCS at the White House summit, which came amid repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised fears of wider conflict.

A joint statement issued by the leaders of the trio of nations voiced "serious concern" over Beijing's actions in the SCS, slamming its behavior as "dangerous and aggressive." Beijing claims almost the entirety of the SCS, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines.

On Friday China hit out at the joint summit in Washington, with foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying Beijing "firmly opposes the relevant countries manipulating bloc politics, and firmly opposes any behavior that provokes or lays plans for opposition and hurts other countries' strategic security and interests." "We firmly oppose engaging in closed cliques that exclude others in the region," Mao told a regular press conference.