Beijing hits back at Donald Trump over South China Sea remark, says US greater threat to sovereignty

In his maiden speech to the UNGA, Trump had said, "We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea."

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Beijing: China hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump`s veiled criticism of its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea.

"For some time now, some countries have used the pretext of freedom of navigation to bring their planes and fleets near the South China Sea," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

"Actually, I think this is behaviour that has threatened the sovereignty of South China Sea countries," he told at a news briefing.

Lu said the situation in the sea "has been cooling down" thanks to efforts by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"I hope that this situation can be respected by relevant countries," he said.

The spokesman also called for "restraint" in response to Trump`s warning that he will "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the US or its allies. 

Lu reiterated Beijing`s call for efforts to bring the nuclear issue "back to the right track of peaceful settlement through dialogue and consultation," AFP reported.

Trump on Tuesday had decried threats to sovereignty in Ukraine and the South China Sea.

In his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly, the US President did not explicitly mention Russia or China, but the comment was clearly aimed at Moscow and Beijing.

"We must reject threats to sovereignty from the Ukraine to the South China Sea," Trump had said. "We must uphold respect for law, respect for borders, and respect for culture, and the peaceful engagement these allow."

China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital waters in the face of rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbours, and has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

US has conducted three "freedom of navigation" operations near islands held by China to challenge Beijing's maritime claims since Trump took office in January.

It was a great honor to have spoken before the countries of the world at the United Nations.USAatUNGAUNGAhttps://t.co/1maJwRGa3d pic.twitter.com/6Hu3AeUp58 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2017

(With AFP inputs)