US diplomat criticizes China for using coercion and intimidation as it presses maritime claims

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — The top American diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific is criticizing China for using intimidation tactics against other countries in the region to press its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters Thursday after returning to the United States from meetings with officials in Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei, Daniel Kritenbrink said he had used the trip to emphasize Washington’s commitment to ensuring all nations respect “freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the peaceful resolution of disputes.” He says China is using “coercion to intimidate partners in ways that we find deeply unacceptable.”