Singapore has refuted a report, published in a popular Chinese tabloid, claiming that the republic had urged for a stronger statement on a ruling on the South China Sea by an international tribunal at the recent Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Venezuela.
Singapore's ambassador to China Stanley Loh, in a letter to the editor-in-chief of China's Global Times Hu Xijin, expressed the state's disappointment with the report.
"We are disappointed that an established newspaper published this irresponsible report replete with fabrications and unfounded allegations with no regard for the facts," Mr Loh said, according to Today Online.
The Global Times newspaper, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, reported that during discussions at the NAM meeting, Singapore pushed for Philippines' position on the South China Sea dispute but was dismissed as many countries opposed it.
As a result, according to the published report, Singapore's representative responded back with "inappropriate" and "offensive" remarks.
"Singapore acted out of self-interest and caused many discussions to drag on late into the night, upsetting many countries," claimed the report, according to Channel NewsAsia.
However, Singapore has rebutted all these allegations. Mr Loh, in his letter, said: "Contrary to the claim fabricated by the Global Times, the Singapore delegation did not raise the South China Sea or the tribunal ruling at the NAM Summit."
"Singapore adopted a principled position throughout and intervened to support the common position of Asean (Association of South-east Asian Nations) and defend NAM principles and established practices," Mr Loh added, as reported by the news agency.
China and its neighbours are at loggerheads with each other since the the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague had invalidated Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea on July and also found out that the Asian giant has breached the Philippines' sovereign rights there
In its ruling on July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague had invalidated Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea and found that China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights there. However, the ruling infuriated China and it refused to accept the verdict.
