Following US President Barack Obama's announcement of the removal of the decades-old embargo on arms sales to Vietnam, Beijing on Tuesday warned Washington not to encourage other South China Sea claimants to antagonize China.

Obama insists that the decision to lift the arms embargo has nothing to do with China. But the statement, however, contradicts his subsequent announcement that Hanoi and Washington will work together to contain China's actions in the South China Sea.

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An editorial published in the nationalist newspaper Global Times says that the US President's claim that the lifting of the arms sales embargo 'was not about China' was "a very poor lie." The paper said the latest move would only exacerbate the "strategic antagonism between Washington and Beijing."

Regional Tinderbox

On Tuesday, China Daily warned Hanoi and Washington not to spark a "regional tinderbox" in Asia saying Obama's announcement was meant to halt the rise of China.

The paper argued that Obama's latest move would only disturb regional peace and stability.

Obama, who is on a historic state visit to Vietnam, told his Vietnamese counterpart, President Tran Dai Quang,  that he supports Hanoi's  territorial claims against Beijing in the South China Sea.

In his speech, Obama promised Vietnam greater access to military support and weapons system to improve its security in the disputed waters.

Freedom of navigation

"In the South China  Sea, the US is not a claimant in current disputes, but we will stand with our partners in upholding key principles like freedom of navigation," the US president said in a speech in Hanoi.

International relations experts said that while Beijing would not respond to Obama in a vindictive way, it will likely continue to build its territories in the South China Sea while exerting pressure on Vietnam not to be too close to Washington.

The United States has openly criticized China for militarizing the South China Sea by reclaiming lands, reefs, and rocks and turning them into artificial islands.

Beijing has built airstrips in contested territories and has deployed military assets on the islands such as fighter jets, radar systems, and civilian and military aircraft.

China maintains that it is simply exercising sovereignty on its territories and has accused the US of militarizing the South China Sea region by conducting 'freedom of navigation' operations and military drills in the area. 

Tagsarms sales embargo, Vietnam, President Barack Obama, Beijing, South China Sea, china