U.S., China Trade Barbs Over South China Sea at Shangri-La Dialogue

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Beijing hit back after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says China risks erecting a ‘Great Wall of self-isolation’

SINGAPORE—China pushed back strongly against U.S. criticism of its stance on maritime disputes at Asia’s largest security conference Sunday, bracing against growing international pressure and fortifying its intent to assert greater clout as a major power.

Beijing’s highest-ranking delegate at the Singapore conference spoke forcefully against U.S.-led criticism of China’s activities in the South China Sea, particularly its refusal to accept a coming tribunal ruling at The Hague that could contradict its maritime claims in the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Chinese military’s Joint Staff Department, dismissed what he characterized as U.S. interference in Asian security issues, and rebuffed allegations Beijing risked isolating itself through its assertive behavior and expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

“We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now, and we will not be isolated in the future,” Adm. Sun said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual gathering of Asian and Western defense officials. Instead, he criticized other countries for retaining a “Cold War mentality” when dealing with China, saying they may only “end up isolating themselves.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-trade-barbs-over-south-china-sea-at-shangri-la-dialogue-1465133442