U.S. Navy Calls for Responsible Behavior from China

On Wednesday, U.S. Naval officials said that China should act in a responsible manner in its activities around disputed territories in the South China Sea to avoid political and security issues.

The comments were made at a press conference during a routine goodwill visit by the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet flagship, the USS Blue Ridge.

Southeast Asian states, including the Philippines, have become worried by China's increasingly aggressive stance on the complex set of disputes in the South China Sea.

Last week, Chinese naval forces carried out drills in the disputed southern waters amid tension with Washington over the security situation in the Korean peninsula and South China Sea.

USS Blue Ridge Commanding Officer Rudy Lupton told reporters that the U.S. expects China to act responsibly, as the U.S. is doing, in matters concerning the South China Sea.

[Captain Rudy Lupton, Commander, USS Blue Ridge]:
"Our President has said that he doesn't view China as a threat. We conduct operations here, as do they, and we expect them to be responsible in what they do, as we are. And I believe that if we act in that way there should be no issues."

Lupton says the United States views the South China Sea as part of international waters, where global trade passes through freely, and insists everyone is entitled to operate in that area.

[Captain Rudy Lupton, Commander, USS Blue Ridge]:
"If you could look down at the South China Sea every day, you would see the tremendous amount of economic commercial activity that occurs there and I think that is the focus of what Secretary Clinton was trying to get at. And again, it goes back to the way we look at the oceans, they're the great commons, and all the countries in the world are entitled to use them for commercial purposes within the bounds of international law and regulations."

China's rising defense spending have set off alarm bells around the region, particularly in Japan and Taiwan.