(VOVworld) - US President Barack Obama warned China Tuesday not to use force to realize their claims in the East Sea. He made the remarks at a meeting with 75 young Southeast Asian leaders visiting the United States as part of the 2015 Young Southeast Asian Initiative (YSEALI). He said that although the US was not a party to the dispute, it has a stake in making sure that territorial disputes in the East Sea are resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law: "Land reclamation and aggressive actions by any party are counterproductive. And we’ll continue as an Asia-Pacific power to support all countries who are prepared to work with us to establishing forces, norms, and rules that can continue growth and prosperity in the region."
He highlighted on-going tensions between several ASEAN countries and China, as well as between China and the US regarding the East Sea issue and warned China not to take advantage as a powerful country to constrain other smaller countries: "They shouldn’t try to establish that based on throwing elbows and pushing people out of the way. Conflicts arise and claims are made based on how big the country is and how powerful their navy is instead of based on law. Then they’ll be less prosperous and Asia Pacific region will be less prosperous."