On the last day of Asia's biggest security summit in Singapore, Admiral Sun Jianguo said China will not be bullied.
China rebuffed U.S. pressure to curb its activity in
the South China Sea on Sunday, June 5, restating its sovereignty over
most of the disputed territory and saying it "has no fear of trouble".
On the last day of Asia's biggest security summit in Singapore, Admiral Sun Jianguo said China will not be bullied, including over a pending international court ruling over its claims in the vital trade route.
"We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble," Sun told the Shangri-La Dialogue. "China
will not bear the consequences, nor will it allow any infringement on
its sovereignty and security interest, or stay indifferent to some
countries creating chaos in the South China Sea."
China
and the United States have traded accusations of militarising the
waterway as Beijing undertakes large-scale land reclamation and
construction on disputed features while Washington has increased its
patrols and exercises.
On Saturday, top U.S. officials including Defense Secretary Ash Carter
warned China of the risk of isolating itself internationally and
pledged to remain the main guarantor of Asian security for decades.
Despite
repeated notes of concern from countries such as Japan, India, Vietnam
and South Korea, Sun rejected the prospect of isolation, saying that
many of the Asian countries present at the Shangri-La Dialogue were
"warmer" and "friendlier" to China than a year ago.
"We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now and we will not be isolated in the future," Sun said.
"Actually
I am worried that some people and countries are still looking at China
with the Cold War mentality and prejudice. They may build a wall in
their minds and end up isolating themselves."
U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry urged Beijing not to establish an air
defence identification zone over the South China Sea, as it did over the
East China Sea in 2013.
"We would consider an
ADIZ...over portions of the South China Sea as a provocative and
destabilizing act which would automatically raise tensions and call into
serious question China's commitment to diplomatically manage the
territorial disputes of the South China Sea," Kerry said during a visit to Mongolia.
On
the upcoming decision by the international tribunal in The Hague in the
case brought by the Philippines to contest China's claims in the
territory, Sun reiterated Beijing does not recognise the court's
authority.
Sun said China wanted to solve the
dispute with the Philippines bilaterally and said the door was open for
dialogue with incoming President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte
said on Thursday he would not surrender the country's rights over the
disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, which China seized in
2012.
China claims almost the entire sea. Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts
of the waters, through which trillions of dollars in trade is shipped
every year.
"China has the patience and wisdom
to settle any disputes through dialogue. We also believe the related
countries have the wisdom and patience to make peace," Sun said. "I've
always believed that shaking hands is better than clenching fists."
Vietnam's deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh warned of a "deteriorating trend of security" in the South China Sea.
"If
not addressed timely and successfully, it is likely to entail arms
race, strategic rivalry of powers with disastrous and unpredictable
consequences," Vinh said.
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