China hits back at US on South China Sea ©Getty US secretary of Hillary Clinton with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Tuesday China warned Washington on Tuesday not to get involved in South China Sea territorial disputes as Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, arrived in Beijing pledging to pass on a strong message on the need to calm regional tension. The last time Mrs Clinton visited the Chinese capital, plans to highlight improving US-China ties were derailed by a blind Chinese dissident whose dramatic flight to the US embassy exposed the deeply uneasy relationship. The irritants this time are disputes over tiny islets and craggy outcrops in oil- and gas-rich areas of the South and East China Seas that have set China against US regional allies such as the Philippines and Taiwan. US officials said the message was once again one of co-operation and partnership - and an important chance to compare notes during a year of political transition. But unease remains, sharpened by maritime territorial disputes that have rattled nerves across the region and led to testy exchanges with Washington just as the Obama administration "pivots" to the Asia-Pacific area after years of military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Chinese foreign ministry suggested at a daily news briefing that Washington was not a helpful force in the maritime disputes. "We have noted that the United States has stated many times that it does not take sides," it said when asked about America's role. We hope that the United States will abide by its promises and do more that is beneficial to regional peace and stability, and not the opposite. Chinese newspapers, including Communist party mouthpiece the People's Daily, have suggested that the South China Sea territorial claims are among Beijing's "core national interests" - a term indicating that they share the same importance as sovereignty over Tibet and Xinjiang.