The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (October 14) that China has not militarized the South China Sea, and warned certain countries to stop hyping up the issue.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comments at a daily news briefing after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States military would sail and fly wherever international law allowed, including the disputed South China Sea.
Carter had been asked about reports that the United States had already decided to conduct freedom-of-navigation operations inside 12 nautical mile limits that China claims around islands built on reefs in the Spratly archipelago.
“The issue, that the relevant Chinese islands are militarized, does not exist. What needs to be pointed out is that certain countries deploy a great amount of aggressive weapons in an area that is far away from their own territory and they have been frequently flexing their military muscles in the region of South China Sea, which is the biggest factor to promote a militarization of the South China Sea. China expresses serious concern about it,” Hua said.
“We hope the relevant countries can stop hyping up the South China Sea issue, abide by their commitments of not taking sides on the territorial issue, speak and act cautiously, respect the efforts by China and the relevant countries to maintain peace and stability in the region of South China Sea and play constructive roles,” she added.
China claims most of the South China Sea and last week its foreign ministry warned that Beijing would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation.
Some analysts in Washington believe the decision has been taken and the patrols could take place later this week or next.
The United States says that under international law building up artificial islands on previously submerged reefs does not entitle a country to claim a territorial limit and that it is vital to maintain freedom of navigation in a sea through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year. (Reuters)
