China says it is not afraid of any U.S. sanctions over South China Sea

China said it was not afraid of any sanctions the United States might impose over the situation in the South China Sea, and accused Washington of stirring up trouble and destabilising the region.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters during a briefing that Beijing hopes the U.S. will not go further down the wrong path.

The remarks came after the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia warned of possible sanctions against Chinese officials and companies involved in what Washington calls coercion in the South China Sea.