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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> China -> 
‘Construction on S. China Sea legitimate’
    2019-06-03  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

STATE Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe yesterday said that China’s construction on its South China Sea islands and reefs is its legitimate right and is purely defensive in nature.

Wei gave a keynote speech yesterday morning at a plenary session entitled “China and International Security Cooperation” at the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue from Friday to yesterday in Singapore.

“The current situation in the South China Sea is improving towards greater stability. It is attributed to the common efforts of the countries in the region,” Wei said. “However, there are always people trying to rake in profits by stirring up troubles in the region.”

He said over 100,000 ships sail through the South China Sea each year, and “none has been threatened.”

However, in recent years, some countries outside the region come to the South China Sea to flex muscles, in the name of freedom of navigation. “The large-scale force projection and offensive operations in the region are the most serious destabilizing and uncertain factors in the South China Sea,” he said.

If there is chaos in the South China Sea, the regional countries are the ones who will bear the brunt, and China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have made progress in negotiating the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, he added.

“It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state to carry out construction on its own territory. China built limited defense facilities on the islands and reefs for self-defense,” he said.

“Where there are threats, there are defenses. In the face of heavily armed warships and military aircraft, how can we stay impervious and not build some defense facilities?” he asked.

When it comes to Taiwan issues, Wei reiterated China’s firm position on Taiwan, warning against any force’s attempt to separate the island from the country.

“If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs for national unity,” said the state councilor.

“We will strive for the prospects of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts, but we make no promise to renounce the use of force. Safeguarding national unity is the sacred duty of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army),” he noted.

He also said that China and the United States should follow the consensus by the two heads of state and promote a China-U.S. relationship featuring coordination, cooperation and stability.

“The most valuable lesson we have learned from the four-decade-long relationship is that cooperation benefits the two sides while confrontation hurts both,” he said.

Wei said that he had a candid discussion with U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Friday, and they reaffirmed the importance of maintaining communication and developing a constructive military-to-military relationship. (Xinhua)

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