Beijing asks nations outside S.China Sea to respect progress on regional stability

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the situation in the South China Sea “has been stabilized and is improving,” and urged countries outside the region to act cautiously, after Japan’s Ministry of Defense said that a Japanese submarine conducted drills in the South China Sea.

Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, told a regular press conference that China and ASEAN countries are committed to pushing forward an exchange of views on implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), to promote maritime cooperation and resolving differences.

Geng urged countries outside the region to respect the efforts made by countries in the region to peacefully address South China Sea issues through dialogue, and avoid doing “anything that would harm regional peace and stability.”

On Monday, Japanese Ministry of Defense said that the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force submarine Kuroshio has, for the first time, conducted a naval exercise in the South China Sea, Reuters reported.

The submarine joined a naval drill on Thursday with other Japanese warships in the South China Sea, which is on a two-month tour of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Japanese Ministry of Defense spokesman was quoted as saying in the report.

The exercise, which involved the submarine attempting to avoid detection, was conducted far from island bases constructed by China, Reuter reported.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the Kuroshio, with a crew of 80, would make a five-day port visit to Vietnam’s strategic naval base at Cam Ranh Bay from Monday.

Last month, a British naval ship sailed into the territorial sea close to China’s Xishan Islands without first seeking permission. China then lodged stern representations with the British side and expressed strong dissatisfaction.