This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/25/david-cameron-china-ruling-south-china-sea-the-hague-philippines
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| David Cameron: China must abide by ruling on South China Sea | David Cameron: China must abide by ruling on South China Sea |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| David Cameron has entered the G7 summit in Japan with a warning to China that it will be expected to abide by the outcome of an international adjudication into the bitter dispute over the South China Sea. | |
| Related: Obama backs Vietnam in South China Sea dispute with Beijing | |
| The British prime minister, who has faced criticism from the White House for being too accommodating to China, took his toughest position yet over the controversy, which has raged for a decade. He said it was critical to respect the forthcoming ruling in The Hague over China’s development of islands in waters disputed with the Philippines. China has rejected the court’s authority. | The British prime minister, who has faced criticism from the White House for being too accommodating to China, took his toughest position yet over the controversy, which has raged for a decade. He said it was critical to respect the forthcoming ruling in The Hague over China’s development of islands in waters disputed with the Philippines. China has rejected the court’s authority. |
| “Because we are in Japan the regional picture will be a feature of this G7,” said the prime minister, who argued that Britain had an interest in countries following international decisions. “We want to encourage China to be part of that rules-based world. We want to encourage everyone to abide by these adjudications. I’m sure that will be something that will be discussed.” | |
| The comments could cause anger in Beijing where the Hague case has been described as “a blatant grab for territory”, with a warning that China “would not accept and would not engage”. | The comments could cause anger in Beijing where the Hague case has been described as “a blatant grab for territory”, with a warning that China “would not accept and would not engage”. |
| The South China Sea is thought to have significant oil and gas reserves and is a route for about $4.5tn (£3.2tn) in trade. Washington is nervous about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the area and along with Japan is keen to corral support at the G7 meeting for a growing pushback against Beijing’s territorial assertiveness. | The South China Sea is thought to have significant oil and gas reserves and is a route for about $4.5tn (£3.2tn) in trade. Washington is nervous about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the area and along with Japan is keen to corral support at the G7 meeting for a growing pushback against Beijing’s territorial assertiveness. |
| The lacklustre global economy is expected to take centre stage in the formal talks, which begin on Thursday afternoon, although divisions are likely to remain over whether the world should spend or save its way out of the current malaise. | The lacklustre global economy is expected to take centre stage in the formal talks, which begin on Thursday afternoon, although divisions are likely to remain over whether the world should spend or save its way out of the current malaise. |
| The G7 will also discuss Islamist terrorism, with the French president, François Hollande, keen to address the issue after a brutal year that saw France hit twice by jihadis. |