(VOVworld) – On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a peaceful measures to resolve East Sea issues.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Thursday, July 7, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)
At a news conference in Beijing with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Mr. Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to resolve disputes between China and related parties by peaceful means to avoid misunderstandings that could threaten regional security and development. Mr. Ban Ki-moon and Mr. Wang Yi also discussed other issues including climate change.

In another development, the US urged respect for the forthcoming ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Dutch city of The Hague on the case between the Philippines and China over China’s unreasonable sovereignty claim in the East Sea. Abraham Denmark, the senior Pentagon official responsible for East Asia, said related parties should avoid provocative acts.

Earlier, in a telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his hope that the related parties will show restraint and avoid tension. He said the US and China share common interests in maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and that Washington supports resolving the East Sea conflicts through peaceful means. The PCA is expected to make its ruling on July 12.