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HONG KONG, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Chinese government's
senior diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Wednesday the
United States is directly intervening in territorial and
maritime disputes in the South China Sea due to its own
political needs.
It is becoming the biggest driver of militarization in the
region, Wang said.
He made the remark in a video conference with foreign
ministers at an ASEAN summit.
"Peace and stability is China's greatest strategic interest
in the South China Sea. It is also the common strategic
aspiration of China and ASEAN countries," Wang said in a
statement posted on the foreign ministry's website.
Wang said China is willing to communicate and have dialogue
with the United States in order to achieve cooperation.
Last month, the United States blacklisted 24 Chinese
companies and targeted individuals it said were part of
construction and military actions in the South China Sea, its
first such sanctions move against Beijing over the disputed
strategic waterway.