BEIJING: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday warned visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan over supporting the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute, 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.

Meetings between the two sides will last until Thursday and are expected to cover a range of areas where the two countries are at odds, including trade, the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea.

Wang and Sullivan discussed holding fresh talks between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in the near future, the two countries said during high-level meetings in Beijing.

Biden urges Xi to keep tensions at bay during presidential elections

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 emphasised to Sullivan that “China is firmly committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over the South China Sea islands”.

China will ‘certainly be unified’

Wang also stressed that Taiwan belonged to Beijing and that China will “certainly be unified”. He told Sullivan that the US should “put into practice its commitment not to support Taiwan independence”, according to CCTV.

The US should “abide by the one-China principle and the three joint communiques of China and the United States, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification”, Wang said.

China has hardened its stance since the inauguration this year of President Lai Ching-te, whose party emphasises Taiwan’s separate identity.

Wang and Sullivan also discussed issues including Ukraine, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula, CCTV said.

“China has always been committed to advocating for peace and promoting dialogue, and working towards a political solution to the Ukraine crisis,” he said. “The US should not shift responsibility onto China, nor should it impose illegal unilateral sanctions.”

Biden has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Xi in the final months of his presidency to help keep tensions at bay. US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the November election, is expected to pursue a similar strategy if she is elected.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea have escalated in recent days. Beijing said it had taken control measures against two Philippine coast guard ships that illegally entered the waters near the shoal.

Manila said the Chinese vessels had prevented Philippine ships from resupplying their own coast guard vessels in the area, blasting the move as “aggressive” and calling Beijing the “biggest disrupter” of peace in Southeast Asia.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024