KUALA LUMPUR: High-level diplomatic talks in Malaysia have further escalated tensions over China's controversial building of artificial islands in the flashpoint waters of the South China Sea.
South-east Asian nations have backed a call by the United States for China to stop the work, angering Chinese representatives who say other nations should not even be talking about the conflict at the meetings in Malaysia.
Philippines foreign secretary Albert Del Rosario condemned what he described as ''massive reclamation activities'' in the disputed waters.
''We see no let up on the unilateral and aggressive activities of our northern neighbor in the South China Sea,'' he said at the annual talks of the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations and their key trading partners.
But China's foreign minister Wang Li hit back, accusing the United States of militarising the South China Sea by staging joint patrols and military drills with its regional allies.
The US and the Philippines should ''count how many runways there are in the South China Sea and who built them first,'' he said.
US forces have stepped up use of Philippine military bases in response to China's aggressive stance over its claim to almost all of the oil and gas-rich waters through which almost 60 percent of Australia's trade passes each year.
Tensions were stoked recently when US Pacific Command Chief Harry Harris took an aircraft ''cruise'' over the area.
And a Washington-based think-tank said this week that Beijing appears to be building a second 3000-metre runway on an artificial island that could be used for combat purposes.
Officials at the Kuala Lumpur talks say there is now no hope of participant nations reaching agreement on a code of conduct that would bind countries to a set of rules for solving the conflict.
China's rival claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been pushing for a decade for a code of conduct.
China recently pledged to start ''substantive'' negotiations on code of conduct but key several Asean nations are becoming increasingly impatient over the lack of progress as China continues to expand the islands which the US military describes as "forward operating" military posts.
China has long insisted that it would only negotiate the disputes directly with other claimants, not through multi-nation forums like Asean.
Le Luong Minh, Asean's secretary-general, said China's reclamation work is "eroding trust and confidence among the parties and complicating" efforts to agree on a code of conduct.
Australia's foreign minister Julie Bishop, who is attending the meetings, says she will "register" Australia's concern over the rising tension in the South China Sea although Australia has maintained it does not take sides in the dispute.
The conflict will also be raised at the meetings by secretary of state John Kerry, US officials said.
South-east Asian nations have backed a call by the United States for China to stop the work, angering Chinese representatives who say other nations should not even be talking about the conflict at the meetings in Malaysia.
Philippines foreign secretary Albert Del Rosario condemned what he described as ''massive reclamation activities'' in the disputed waters.
''We see no let up on the unilateral and aggressive activities of our northern neighbor in the South China Sea,'' he said at the annual talks of the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations and their key trading partners.
But China's foreign minister Wang Li hit back, accusing the United States of militarising the South China Sea by staging joint patrols and military drills with its regional allies.
The US and the Philippines should ''count how many runways there are in the South China Sea and who built them first,'' he said.
US forces have stepped up use of Philippine military bases in response to China's aggressive stance over its claim to almost all of the oil and gas-rich waters through which almost 60 percent of Australia's trade passes each year.
Tensions were stoked recently when US Pacific Command Chief Harry Harris took an aircraft ''cruise'' over the area.
And a Washington-based think-tank said this week that Beijing appears to be building a second 3000-metre runway on an artificial island that could be used for combat purposes.
Officials at the Kuala Lumpur talks say there is now no hope of participant nations reaching agreement on a code of conduct that would bind countries to a set of rules for solving the conflict.
China's rival claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been pushing for a decade for a code of conduct.
China recently pledged to start ''substantive'' negotiations on code of conduct but key several Asean nations are becoming increasingly impatient over the lack of progress as China continues to expand the islands which the US military describes as "forward operating" military posts.
China has long insisted that it would only negotiate the disputes directly with other claimants, not through multi-nation forums like Asean.
Le Luong Minh, Asean's secretary-general, said China's reclamation work is "eroding trust and confidence among the parties and complicating" efforts to agree on a code of conduct.
Australia's foreign minister Julie Bishop, who is attending the meetings, says she will "register" Australia's concern over the rising tension in the South China Sea although Australia has maintained it does not take sides in the dispute.
The conflict will also be raised at the meetings by secretary of state John Kerry, US officials said.
