China's Manila mission says 'dangerous' U.S. creating chaos in Asia

MANILA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China's embassy in the
Philippines has denounced the United States for "creating chaos"
in Asia, after a visiting White House envoy backed countries in
disputes with China and accused Beijing of using military
pressure to further its interests.
During a trip to Manila on Monday, national security adviser
Robert O'Brien underscored the U.S. commitment to Taiwan and
told the Philippines and Vietnam, countries both locked in
maritime rows with China, that "we've got your back".
"It shows that his visit to this region is not to promote
regional peace and stability, but to create chaos in the region
in order to seek selfish interests of the U.S.," the embassy
said in a statement issued late Monday.
The United States should "stop inciting confrontation" in
the South China Sea and "stop making irresponsible remarks on
the Taiwan and Hong Kong issue, which are purely China's
internal affairs", the statement said.
O'Brien has warned China it would face a "backlash" if it
attempted to use military force to coerce Taiwan, which China
views as one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state
ties.
The United States and China have been at loggerheads over
issues from technology and human rights to Chinese maritime
militarisation, with each accusing the other of deliberately
provocative behaviour.
China claim to 90% of the South China Sea includes areas
claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and
Vietnam. An international tribunal in 2016 ruled that China's
expansive claim, based on its historical maps, is inconsistent
with international law.
The United States has repeatedly sent warships to the
strategic waterway to demonstrate freedom of navigation there.
"Facts have proved that the U.S. is the biggest driver of
the militarization," the embassy statement said, calling it "the
most dangerous external factor" in the South China Sea.
The United States embassy in Manila had no immediate
response.