US Raises Concerns With Beijing Over ‘Destabilizing Actions’ in South China Sea

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell raised ’serious concerns’ about CCP’s actions in the vital waterway during a phone call with a senior Chinese official.

U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell (R) speaks as South Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo looks on during a news conference at the South Korean Presidential Office in Seoul on July 18, 2023. Kim Hong-ji/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed “serious concerns” over the Chinese regime’s “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea during a phone call with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, the State Department said.

Mr. Campbell’s phone conversation with China’s vice premier of foreign affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, is the latest in a series of interactions Washington said aimed at responsibly managing competition between the two rival powers.