China fires back at US over environment, S China Sea

Beijing: US-China friction flared again Monday, with Beijing firing back at accusations by Washington that it is a leading cause of global environmental damage and has reneged on its promise not to militarise the South China Sea.

A document issued last week by the State Department cited China's record on issues from greenhouse gas emissions to air and water and soil pollution, illegal logging and wildlife trafficking.

While the Chinese people have suffered the worst environmental impacts of its actions, Beijing also threatens the global economy and global health by unsustainably exploiting natural resources and exporting its willful disregard for the environment," the document said. Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus followed that with a statement Sunday saying China has pursued a reckless and provocative militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands, adding that China's ruling Communist Party does not honor its words or commitments.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded Monday by asking why the United States was withdrawing from the Paris agreement on climate change, calling the US the biggest destroyer of international environmental cooperation.

Wang also said US military actions have made it the biggest threat to the peace and stability of the South China Sea. The trading of accusations comes amid disputes over trade, technology, Hong Kong and Taiwan, spying accusations against Chinese diplomats and Beijing's assertions of territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere that have driven the bilateral relationship to its lowest point in decades.