South China Sea issue no excuse to contain China: spokesman

The South China Sea issue should not be an excuse or a tool to contain China's development, a spokesman for the annual session of China's top political advisory body said Wednesday.

Refuting the hyped Chinese "militarization" in the region, spokesman Wang Guoqing voiced full support to the remarks about the South China Sea issue by the spokespersons of ministries of foreign affairs and national defense, adding the South China Sea should become a "sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."

"It shall not be turned into an excuse or a tool by certain countries to contain China's development," he told reporters at a press conference one day ahead of the opening of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. Endi