In his speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reiterated China's stance that the issue regarding the South China Sea dispute - and other similar maritime disputes - should be resolved through bilateral talks and without intervention from other countries.
"China also maintains that disputes concerning territory and maritime rights and interests should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations. We need to expand common ground while shelving differences." Li remarked on his speech.
The country has recently countered Japan for its recent announcement that it will join the US in patrolling the disputed South China Sea in the spirit of protecting the freedom of navigation clause. Tokyo had recently announced that they will also participate in multilateral military exercises with regional navies.
Beijing has stressed that Japan, which is not a party to the issue in the South China Sea, is using its participation with the US efforts as a bargaining chip to gain an advantage in its territorial spat with China over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea. China also has rival claims over the region, thus the increasing problem in the region.
Several political analysts have stressed that China's growing assertiveness regarding the territorial issue has strained its relations with the US and may trigger a political conflict in the future if nothing is done.
