President Xi tells Trump relations have been hurt by ‘negative factors’ after US destroyer sailed past Beijing’s man-made island in the South China Sea for the SECOND time this year
On Sunday, Pentagon sent the USS Stethem to Triton Island in South East Asia
China, Taiwan and Philippines all claim Triton but China has built a base on it
US sailed within 12 miles of the island – within waters China claims as its own
It was trailed by a Chinese warship while it completed its international mission
The operation was to emphasize that the waters are international, not territorial
In May the US ran a similar voyage to one of China’s man-made islands in the sea
By GARETH DAVIES
DAILYMAIL.COM
3 July 2017
Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump relations between the two countries have been hurt after a US destroyer sailed through the South China Sea.
On Sunday the Pentagon sent a destroyer, the USS Stethem, to sail close to the shore of Triton Island – one of a number in the Paracel Island chain that China claims ownership of.
It was the second such manoeuvre in as many months which has angered Beijing, prompting Xi to say his relationship with the US had been hurt by ‘negative factors’.
The Chinese leader’s comments in a phone call with Trump follow Beijing’s anger over US arms sales to rival Taiwan, US sanctions against his country’s bank over dealings with North Korea and the sailing of the guided missile carrier within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Xi was also miffed after the State Department gave the capital a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.
According to state media, Xi told Trump in their call that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the ‘one China’ principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
‘Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-US relations have achieved important outcomes,’ state broadcaster China Central Television reported, referring to Xi’s meeting with Trump in Florida in April.
‘At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the US.’
Seeking to lighten the message slightly, Xi also said that China-US relations had achieved ‘important outcomes’ since the Florida meeting.
It’s unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G-20 summit in Germany this week, at which Trump and Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.
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