Maldives steadfastly abides by the One China Principle and supports China's position on the South China Sea dispute, Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wan Fukang revealed Wednesday.
Maldives government has not officially made public its stand over the long running territorial dispute despite the archipelago's recent inclination towards the Asian giant and the foreign ministry was unavailable for an immediate comment.
China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims.
Tensions have been rising in South China Sea, with blunt messages flying back and forth between China, on the one side, and Taiwan and Japan on the other.
Last week, Taiwan sent a blunt message to China by preparing its military forces to fend off Beijing’s threats.
In the meantime, Japan sent its own blunt diplomatic message to Beijing by changing the name of its Taiwanese embassy from 'The Interchange Association' to 'Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association'.
That means Tokyo comes a step closer of recognizing Taiwan as a separate country, drawing the angry protests of Beijing.
China has backed its expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols. The US says it does not take sides in territorial disputes, but has sent military ships and planes near disputed islands, calling them "freedom of navigation" operations to ensure access to key shipping and air routes.
Both sides have accused each other of "militarising" the South China Sea.
There are fears that the area is becoming a flashpoint, with potentially serious global consequences.