China hopes India, US won't disturb South China Sea peace

Beijing: China on Friday said it hopes India and the US will not disturb peace in the South China Sea as the issue is likely to come up between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump when they meet.

"With concerted efforts of China and Asean countries, the situation there is cooling down.

 We hope other countries, especially non-regional countries, can respect efforts by regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and can play a constructive role in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Modi will meet Trump for the first time on June 26 and a range of issues are likely to come up, including H1B visas and terrorism.

Earlier, US Press Secretary Sean Spicer said cooperation between India and the US on Indo-Pacific region which includes the South China Sea will figure in the talks.

China is locked in a dispute with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan over the ownership of energy-rich waters.

China claims almost 90 per cent of the sea.

 The US has sent its warships into the waters, asserting its freedom to navigate in the international waters.