China needs to be a more responsible power as it gains global influence and avoid flexing its muscles in disputes with smaller countries over issues like the South China Sea, U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN in an interview to be aired on Sunday. China, a signatory to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, recently lost an arbitration dispute over the South China Sea. A court in the Hague found China had no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and had infringed on the rights of the Philippines. "Where we see them violating international rules and norms, as we have seen in some cases in the South China Sea or in some of their behavior when it comes to economic policy, we've been very firm," Obama told CNN. The U.S. president said China could not expect to "pursue mercantilist policies that just advantage" itself now that China has become a more affluent, middle-income country.

Source: Thanhnien News September 02, 2016 20:37 UTC