BEIJING – China urged the U.S. Senate on Thursday to stop deliberating on aproposal to sanction Chinese individuals and entities for “illegal anddangerous activities” in the South China Sea.
Addressing the media in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang saidthe proposed sanctions legislation violates international law.
U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio is leading a drive to introduce thelegislation.
Rubio told the South China Morning Post that a group of Senators wouldreintroduce the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Bill onThursday.
“The legislation violates the basic norms of international law andinternational relations and the Chinese side, of course, firmly objects,”Kang said.
“Construction of reefs on disputed territory — one of the activities citedin the draft legislation – is fully within the scope of China’s sovereignrights,” he said, urging the U.S. not to proceed with deliberation on thelegislation “in order not to bring new disruption to China-U.S. relations”.
If passed, Washington would seize U.S.-based financial assets and revoke ordeny U.S. visas to anyone engaged in “actions or policies that threaten thepeace, security or stability” of areas in the South China Sea that arecontested by one or more members of the Association of Southeast AsianNations, the report said.
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Meanwhile, Taiwan has said that two U.S. warships sailed through the TaiwanStrait Wednesday.
The move is seen as an apparent provocation by Washington to challengeChina’s claims in the region.
Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and often complains about anyforeign ships entering what it says are Chinese territorial waters.
The latest provocation came after the U.S. Navy held drills in the SouthChina Sea last Sunday.
