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© The Associated PressIn Hanoi, a sign read 'Paracel and Spratly islands belong to Vietnam.'
On the eve of talks with the U.S., China warned against American involvement in the increasingly tense territorial disputes in the South China Sea and accused some of China's neighbors of "playing with fire."

Cui Tiankai, vice minister of foreign affairs, blamed other countries in the region - and later singled out Vietnam - for provocation in recent incidents that have rekindled longstanding acrimony over control of areas in the vast stretch of water between them. And he dismissed calls from Vietnam and the Philippines for the U.S. to play a role in resolving those tensions, admonishing that Washington should "approach such issues in a very prudent way."

"I believe some countries now are playing with fire," Mr. Cui told a small group of reporters. "And I hope the U.S. won't be burned by this fire."

The fresh warning highlights the difficult issues that dog ties between Beijing and Washington despite efforts to smooth relations after serious strains last year. The resurgent tension in the South China Sea is likely to feature in Mr. Cui's talks Saturday in Hawaii with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who oversees Asia-Pacific affairs, intended to be the first in a regular series of bilateral consultations on Asia-Pacific issues.

Both Vietnam and the Philippines have laid blame for recent tension on China, and rebuffed Beijing's insistence that disputes in the region should be handled bilaterally. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III last week praised the U.S. military presence in the area, saying it ensures freedom of navigation and deters aggression.

Vietnam on Friday issued a joint statement with the U.S. calling for "peace, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation" in the region and urged a "collaborative, diplomatic process without coercion or the use of force."

"We continue to support a collaborative diplomatic process" concerning South China Sea, said U.S. State Dept. spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday.

Mr. Cui's comments also came amid the latest signs of a shift in Beijing's position on the conflict in Libya, another source of disagreement with the U.S.

China has steadfastly criticized the attacks by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led campaign against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime, but this week for the first time it hosted a top leader from Libya's National Transitional Council, following its first contacts with the rebel group earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with the official, Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the council's executive board, and pronounced that the rebel group is now "an important dialogue partner."

The council "has increased its representativeness and gradually become a major political force," Mr. Yang told Mr. Jibril in Beijing, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Mr. Cui didn't address Libya at his separate briefing on the upcoming U.S. talks. He did address U.S. allegations of intensifying cyberattacks coming from China, playing down the concerns. "Let me make one thing clear: There is no cyberwarfare now between the U.S. and China," he said. "There may be hackers attacking U.S. networks and attacking China's networks, but I'm sure they don't represent the U.S. or the Chinese governments."

He said that China and the U.S. have started talks on cybersecurity issues, and that China supports wider multilateral discussions on the issue.

On the South China Sea, Mr. Cui sounded a somewhat conciliatory note, saying the U.S. position that it has an interest in maintaining safe and free shipping lanes in the disputed region is "understandable." But he said that if the U.S. wants to play a role in the issue, it should limit itself to urging "more restraint and responsible behavior from those countries that have been frequently taking provocative actions."

"Some American friends may think the U.S. can provide some help. We appreciate the gesture, but sometimes such help can only make things more complicated," Mr. Cui said.