The United States warned China on Saturday to halt destabilizing actions in Asia as Washington and its allies sought to boost defense cooperation in the face of what Japan called an "increasingly severe" security environment, according to The Associated Press.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the United States was committed to its geopolitical rebalance to the region and "will not look the other way when fundamental principles of the international order are being challenged," the AP reported.
"In recent months, China has undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea," Hagel said in the speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, according to the AP.
Hagel said the United States took no position on the merits of rival territorial claims in the region, but added: "We firmly oppose any nation's use of intimidation, coercion, or the threat of force to assert these claims," the AP reported.
In Beijing, President Xi Jinping said China would not initiate aggressive action in the South China Sea but would respond if others did, the official Xinhua news agency reported, according to the AP.
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said Tokyo perceived an "increasingly severe regional security environment," the AP reported.
"It is unfortunate that there are security concerns in the East and South China Seas," Onodera said, according to the AP. "Japan as well as all concerned parties must uphold the rule of law and never attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force."
Tensions have surged in recent weeks after China placed an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam, and the Philippines said Beijing could be building an airstrip on a disputed island, the AP reported.
On Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Singapore forum that Tokyo would offer its "utmost support" to Southeast Asian countries in their efforts to protect their seas and airspace, as he pitched his plan for Japan to take on a bigger international security role, according to the AP.
