(VOVworld) –Tensions in the East Sea are great challenge to the US as well as to countries in the region, said Daniel Russel, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, on Tuesday.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel (Photo: VOV)

Members of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee agreed that China’s deployment of oil rig Haiyang 981 and escort ships in the East Sea threatened peace, and security in the region. Mr. Russel said China’s illegal incursion and its construction on Gac Ma island are aimed at militarizing the islands which serve as the basis of its sovereignty claims. Steve Chabot, Chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said China’s acts present a challenge to the US strategy of rebalancing the region. Ami Bera, a senior member of the subcommittee, said if the US does not act immediately, China will advance even further. Mr. Russel said the tension must be resolved through peaceful dialogues based on international law.