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China slams US embassy in Singapore's video for 'deliberately distorting' South China Sea issue

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China slammed the US embassy in Singapore for posting the video, challenging Beijing's South China Sea claims, and said this "deliberately distorts" the issue.

The embassy posted a 90-second clip featuring a cluttered residential building constructed by the government with narration in a Singaporean accent. It was originally posted by US Ambassador to Singapore Casey Mace .

The narrator in the video said, "This happens right outside Singapore's doorstep too, in the South China Sea, where one neighbour thinks he owns basically everything," as the video cuts to a series of news clippings on China's territorial disputes.


The post drew a strong response from China’s embassy in Singapore late Wednesday.

On its Facebook page, the Chinese embassy said the video "deliberately distorts the ins-and-outs of the South China Sea issue".

"Under joint efforts of China and Asean countries, the current situation in the South China Sea remains overall stable," it added, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.

The embassy said it was "universally recognized that the US is the least qualified to even talk about international law ".



China has long claimed almost the entire South China Sea, a geopolitically important route through which over 60 percent of global maritime trade passes. This claim continues despite an international ruling that found the claims had no legal basis.

The South China Sea is also believed to have valuable oil and gas resources. There are concerns that Beijing is trying to expand its reach.

In Southeast Asia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have partial claims to the sea.

In a statement on Wednesday, Singapore’s foreign ministry said that it doesn't accept any interference from foreign embassies.

"The Singapore Government rejects attempts by foreign embassies to incite domestic reactions to international issues involving third countries," the statement said.

"Complex issues are best resolved through appropriate channels for effective diplomacy," it added.
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