China boosts safety of South China Sea, Wang says

Updated: 2016-03-08 11:58

By Wang Xu(chinadaily.com.cn)

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The South China Sea is one of the safest and freest sea lanes in the world due to continued efforts made by China and other regional countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday during a news conference on the sidelines of the Two Sessions.

China is the country that most wants to uphold the freedom of navigation as the largest country bordering the South China Sea, Wang said, however the freedom of navigation doesn't give some countries the right to do whatever they want, he said.

If someone wants to muddy the waters in the South China Sea and to destabilize Asia, China will not agree to it and I think the majority of countries in the region will not allow that to happen, Wang warned.

Saying China is not the first country to deploy the most weapons or conducted the most military activities in the Nansha Islands, Wang claimed that "the label of militarization is more suited to some other countries".

Despite necessary defense facilities, China is also building civilian facilities to provide public goods to the international community, Wang said and he promised that China will consider inviting foreign reporters to the Nansha Islands "when the construction is completed and the conditions are right".

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