‘Ugly face’: US and China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens

People standing in the rain as they wait to enter the Martyrs' Mausoleum during a ceremony for Martyrs' Day in Yangon on Sunday (July 19). Myanmar observed the 73rd anniversary of Martyrs' Day on July 19, marking the assassination of independence heroes including Aung San Suu Kyi's father, who helped end British colonial rule. - AFP

YANGON, July 19 (Reuters): China's embassy in Myanmar on Sunday accused the United States of "outrageously smearing” the country and driving a wedge with its Southeast Asian neighbors over the contested South China Sea and Hong Kong, as tensions mount between the superpowers.

Responding to US claims Beijing was undermining the sovereignty of its neighbours, the Chinese embassy said US agencies abroad were doing "disgusting things" to contain China and had showed a "selfish, hypocritical, contemptible, and ugly face".