'No problem of freedom of navigation'

China has tried to dispel the impression that it was causing any hindrance in the South China Sea. Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Chinese Ambassador le Yucheng on Saturday said there was no insecurity as or restriction on the freedom of navigation in the region. 

“The problem does not exist,” le said while talking about the freedom of navigation and security in the South China Sea. “China more than anyone else is interested in ensuring security of the waters 70 per cent of Chinese goods come and go through the waters,” said the envoy while describing the area as a stable region.

On a question about the mentioning of South China Sea dispute in the India-US joint statement issued during President Barack Obama’s visit, le said China took note of it and that there was no problem of security or any issue relating to freedom of navigation in the region. “We noticed the statement about the South China sea. The South China Sea remains stable and secure. Nothing happened. There has been no incident,” he said.

China has been objecting to India’s oil exploration projects by ONGC Videsh (OVl) in the South China Sea waters even as Vietnam has been pushing for India’s greater participation in oil projects.