Beijing, China—China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday warned visiting US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan over supporting the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, state media reported.
“The United States must not use bilateral treaties as an excuse to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support or condone the Philippines’s actions of infringement,” Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Sullivan landed in the Chinese capital on Tuesday for a three-day trip, saying on arrival he looked forward to “a very productive round of conversations” with foreign minister Wang.
Washington’s allies Japan and the Philippines have blamed China in the past week for raising regional tensions, with Tokyo accusing Beijing of violating its airspace and Manila calling it the “biggest disrupter” of peace in Southeast Asia.
According to CCTV, Wang emphasized to Sullivan that “China is firmly committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over the South China Sea islands.”
Sullivan and Wang have met five times over the past year-and-a-half—in Washington, Vienna, Malta and Bangkok, as well as alongside US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a November 2023 summit in California.
