South China Sea is not 'maritime empire' of China, hits out Pompeo

His comments come as Vietnam and the Philippines on Saturday raised concerns over repeated violations of maritime rules

The US welcomes Asean leaders’ insistence that South China Sea (SCS) disputes be resolved in line with international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea), and China cannot be allowed to treat the SCS as its maritime empire, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Sunday. “We will have more to say on this topic soon,” he said.

“The US and European nations have awakened to the reality of China’s role as a rising authoritarian regime, and the implications for our free society,” he said, adding that “China’s cover-up of the coronavirus