By Kakumi Kobayashi
WASHINGTON, June 2 (PNA/Kyodo) — U.S. President Barack Obama urged China on Monday to stop its massive reclamation projects in disputed areas in the South China Sea, calling them “counterproductive.”
“We think that land reclamation, aggressive actions by any party in that area are counterproductive,” Obama told a meeting with young leaders from the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (ASEAN)) some of whose members are involved in territorial disputes with China.
His comments came after similar remarks by Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter stepping up pressure on China to stop building artificial islands and facilities as it lays claim to areas in the waters.(PNA/Kyodo)