China vows to build South China Sea into one of peace, friendship, cooperation

A senior Chinese military official on Sunday urged relevant countries to work together to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, stressing that there has never been an issue with the freedom of navigation in the vast sea.

In a speech delivered at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, said the situation in the South China Sea was on the whole peaceful and stable.

"China has carried out construction on some islands and reefs in the South China Sea mainly for the purpose of improving the functions of the relevant islands and reefs and the working and living conditions of personnel stationed there," he said.

Sun explained that the projects were also aimed at better performing China's international responsibilities and obligations over maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and relief, maritime scientific research, meteorological observation, environmental protection, safety of navigation, and fishery production services.

According to the admiral, China has built an oceanic survey station for the United Nations on the Yongshu Jiao and started the construction of two multi-functional lighthouses on the Huayang Jiao and Chigua Jiao for the purpose of providing international public services.

"I want to reaffirm that these construction projects fall well within the scope of China's sovereignty and are legitimate, justified and reasonable. They do not target any other countries or affect the freedom of navigation," he said.

"There are no changes in China's claims in the South China Sea, no changes in China's position on peaceful resolution of the relevant disputes through negotiation and consultation," he said.

China is also willing to safeguard the freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea, and uphold peace and stability in the sea, he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Chinese general put forward a five-point proposal for defense departments and militaries of various countries to strengthen cooperation and jointly safeguard regional and world security and stability.

He recommended pursuing enduring peace, upholding mutual trust and inclusiveness, adhering to the effective approach of dialogue and consultation, meeting the inherent demand for sharing responsibilities and upholding the core concept of win-win cooperation.

Organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Shangri-La Dialogue brought together defense chiefs from 26 nations here as well as security experts to exchange views on key issues that shape the defense and security landscape of the region. Endi