Obama seeks to ease US-China row

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Obama seeks to ease US-China row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7938951.stm

Page last updated at 09:03 GMT, Thursday, 12 March 2009


It is hoped that face-to-face dialogue will help to resolve the dispute


Territorial claims from China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia overlap in resource-rich sea
Hosts some of the world's busiest shipping lanes
China says the US was in its Exclusive Economic Zone - but the two sides disagree on what activities are allowed in an EEZ

US President Barack Obama has invited China's top diplomat to the White House in an effort to defuse tensions over a dispute in the South China Sea.

Mr Obama and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will discuss the issue and other economic matters, a US official said.

On Monday, the US said five Chinese ships had harassed an unarmed US navy surveillance vessel in a dangerous manner in international waters.

But Beijing accused the US of operating illegally in its maritime territory.

China called the US complaint "totally inaccurate" and accused it of breaking international law by operating in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). See map showing rival claims in the South China Sea

The boundaries of China's EEZ remain disputed, while Beijing and Washington differ on which activities are permitted by law within a nation's EEZ.

China has a key submarine base on Hainan island, 75 miles north of where Sunday's incident occurred.

Its defence ministry on Thursday reiterated a demand for the US navy to end its surveillance missions off the country's southern coast.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he expected the dispute to be discussed by Mr Obama and Mr Yang, along with the global economic crisis.

"I don't think it will overshadow it, but I think the president will continue to make clear our country's position," he said.

Mr Yang is also expected to meet Mr Obama's national security adviser.

Following a meeting with Mr Yang on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the two nations had agreed to work together to avoid future confrontations.

Mr Yang said he was in Washington to prepare for the G20 summit in April and "to work together to push our relations forward", according to China's official news agency Xinhua - but he made no reported mention of the maritime dispute.