A top Chinese general has blamed the US “pivot” to Asia for escalating tensions in the South China Sea that have sparked violent anti-China riots across Vietnam, forcing factories to shut production.

一名中国军方高级将领呼吁美国对南中国海的紧张局势保持客观立场。南海紧张局势近日已在越南引发排华暴力事件，迫使多家工厂停工。

Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of the Chinese military, said during a visit to the Pentagon that Washington should hold an “objective view” of the disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea.

在对五角大楼的一次访问中，中国人民解放军总参谋长房峰辉表示，对于资源丰富的南海上发生的争端，美国政府应秉持“客观立场”。

“The ones that are provoking those issues in the South China Sea is not China but certain countries that are attempting to gain their own interest because they believe China is now developing its economy and the US is adopting this Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy,” Gen Fang said in a press briefing on Thursday.

在周四的媒体发布会上，房峰辉表示：“引发南海问题的不是中国，而是某些企图谋求私利的国家，因为他们认为中国目前正在发展经济，而美国又采取了所谓亚太再平衡战略。”

Sino-Vietnamese relations have plunged into crisis after China started drilling for oil in waters near the disputed Paracel Islands – which China controls and calls the Xisha – in the South China Sea. The incident is the latest escalation in maritime tensions between China and its neighbours, including the Philippines.

中越关系间的危机，始于中国在南中国海帕拉塞尔群岛(Paracel Islands, 中国称为西沙群岛)附近水域启动的钻井作业。中国拥有该群岛的控制权。中国最近在海上与包括菲律宾在内的多个邻国处于紧张状态，而这次冲突标志着态势的最新升级。

The geopolitical tensions have spilled into the commercial realm as manufacturers that supply everyone from Walmart to Nike have shut factories because of the violence that has killed at least one Chinese worker. Local mobs have been ransacking factories near Ho Chi Minh City in protest over China 's move.

房峰辉将中越间的紧张态势归咎于越南方面。他表示，中国是在西沙群岛周边12海里以内开展钻井作业。这次冲突曾导致中越船只在中海油(Cnooc)钻井平台附近展开对峙。1974年，中国与越南曾因西沙群岛发生过短暂冲突，自那以后中国就控制了该群岛，不过越南政府始终声称拥有该群岛主权。

Li & Fung, the world’s biggest sourcing company that supplies goods for retailers such as Target and Walmart, on Thursday said factories in south Vietnam had halted operations as a precaution. Yue Yuen, the sports shoe manufacturer that supplies Nike and Adidas, also suspended production for a second day.

房峰辉表示：“在南海地区，有很多相关国家打了很多井，而中国没有打一口井。这些年来中国保持了极大的克制。”

The disruption is a problem for multinationals that rely on places such as Vietnam for the cheap production of consumer goods from smartphones to sweatshirts. Global retailers already face supply chain issues that include rising labour costs in China, safety concerns in Bangladesh and political risk in Thailand

与房峰辉一同发表讲话的是美国参谋长联席会议主席马丁•邓普西(Martin Dempsey)，他对房峰辉的说法没怎么驳斥。房峰辉表示，中国无法理解为什么要单单批评中国。

Gen Fang blamed Vietnam for the tensions which have sparked a stand-off between Chinese and Vietnamese ships near the oil rig that is owned by Cnooc, a Chinese state-controlled energy company. He said China was drilling within 12 nautical miles – the territorial waters – of the Paracels. China has controlled them since 1974 following a brief conflict with Vietnam, but Hanoi still claims the islands.

房峰辉表示：“现在想不通的是，为什么其他一些国家打了这么多井没有什么讲的。而中国在自己领土领海上钻探作业，打一口井，马上就带来这么多横加指责。所以我们感到需要公正地来看待这个问题。”

“The related countries in the South China Sea region have drilled actually many oil wells in the South China Sea, but China has never drilled even one,” said Gen Fang. “From this single fact, we can see how much restraint China has exercised.”