China believes territorial disputes in the region should be settled through direct talks with the countries concerned, the nation's top foreign policy official said.
"We will never trade our core interests or swallow the bitter fruits that undermine our sovereignty, security and development interests," Yang Jiechi said in a speech Saturday at the World Peace Forum in Beijing. Yang, a state councilor and former foreign minister, held talks earlier in the week in Vietnam to defuse tensions over a Chinese oil rig in waters claimed by both countries.
China has intensified moves to assert its territorial sovereignty in the East and South China Seas, ratcheting up tensions with the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan. China has refused international efforts to resolve the conflicts and this month reiterated that it doesn't recognize a United Nations tribunal investigating a complaint by the Philippines against China's claims over the Spratly Islands.