U.S. to monitor South China Sea for de-escalation after China rebuff | Reuters

U.S. to monitor South China Sea for de-escalation after China rebuff | Reuters A U.S. proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the South China Sea got a cool response from China and some Southeast Asian nations at a regional meeting at the weekend, an apparent setback to U.S. efforts to thwart China's assertive moves. The U.S. official said the United States would follow up on those talks by assessing an ASEAN-China meeting due in a few weeks time on implementing a 2002 declaration on conduct in the South China Sea, something that "equates to the freeze." "We will also be monitoring the actual situation around the rocks, reefs, and shoals in the South China Sea," he said.http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-australia-usa-kerry-idUSKBN0GB0BP20140811?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=742a2e77a8-Sinocism08_12_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-742a2e77a8-29615013&mc_cid=742a2e77a8&mc_eid=5935182a65

Related: U.S., China tussle over sea claims - The Washington Post The statement fell short of U.S. hopes for a stiff declaration that China must reverse course and that disputes must be settled by international arbitration, but U.S. officials claimed a victory. “This language represents a significant setback for China’s efforts to play for time and . . . change the subject,” a senior Obama administration official said. “It’s a criticism of Chinese behavior, and it puts an enormous amount of pressure on the Chinese and signals to them that its relations with countries in the region are deteriorating.”  //  really?http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-china-tussle-over-sea-claims/2014/08/10/2f613504-2085-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=742a2e77a8-Sinocism08_12_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-742a2e77a8-29615013&mc_cid=742a2e77a8&mc_eid=5935182a65