China has assured it will not militarize the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) amid reports that it has been constructing military structures in the disputed territory.
Yao Wen, deputy director general for policy planning of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Asian department, made this assurance on Monday in an interview with 25 Asian journalists covering the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress.
“China will never seek militarization of South China Sea,” Yao replied when asked if China could make categorically statement that it would not use military to assert claims in the South China Sea.
The Chinese foreign ministry official, however, admitted that China has been building structures in the reclaimed reefs and islands which are “within China’s sovereignty.”
“Yes indeed, we have some construction works. There are some projects that actually public structures especially the light house and hospitals in which we believe the neighboring countries will benefit from in the future,” he said.
Yao has reiterated China’s call to the countries not directly involved in the sovereignty issue to leave the resolution of the disputes among the claimant countries that also include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
He said that military vessels and aircrafts stationed near the disputed territory “is highly dangerous” as it would lead to misjudgment.
“We are worried about the so-called free navigation activities of non-relevant countries that come as far as near five to six nautical miles of the reefs where our staff are stationed,” Yao said.
Yao said territorial disputes particularly China’s nine-dash line and historical rights should be resolved peacefully through dialogues and negotiations among the involved countries.
He stressed that United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international laws on the sea, “China enjoys maritime interest on exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.”
https://www.update.ph/2017/10/china-says-it-will-never-seek-militarization-of-west-philippine-sea/21856
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