The United States of America has rejected a suggestion by a top Chinese military official that it use Chinese facilities on disputed islands in the South China Sea for international rescue and relief operations, reports AFP.
US President Barack Obama had stated: "Where we get concerned with China is where it is not necessarily abiding by international norms and rules and is using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions."
Following that, Chinese Defense Ministry website, said Adm. Wu Shengli made the offer to his US counterpart Adm. Jonathan Greenert in a video conference.
“We welcome international organizations, the U.S. and relevant countries to use these facilities, when conditions are ripe, to conduct cooperation on humanitarian rescue and disaster relief,” the Chinese admiral was quoted as saying.
State Department acting deputy spokesman Jeff Rathke said Washington was not interested. “Building facilities on reclaimed land in disputed areas will not contribute to peace and stability in the region,” Rathke told reporters.
“This is true even if, as some Chinese officials have stated, the facilities in question were used for civilian disaster response purposes,” he said.
China has taken to building artificial islands in disputed regions of the South China Sea to bolster its territorial claims. In the Spratlys and Paracels, Beijing is warping the landscape by carrying out land reclamation activities.
China’s reasons for pursuing its island-building activities have been varied, but overall, they have done little to assuage the concerns of observers in the region and the United States.