China must protect sovereignty, says Xi

SINGAPORE—China has always insisted the disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully through talks, but the government has a responsibility to protect the country’s sovereignty and maritime rights, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Saturday.

China has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

Its land reclamation in the sea has raised concern in the region about its intentions, and last week a US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of Beijing’s man-made islands in the contested Spratly archipelago.

No problem

Speaking at the National University of Singapore, Xi said freedom of passage in the South China Sea has never been a problem and will never be a problem, but the islands there have always been Chinese.

“To maintain the sovereignty and proper, reasonable maritime rights is a responsibility the Chinese government must take on,” Xi said.

“Right of passage or flight has never been a problem and will never be a problem, because China needs the freedom of passage in the South China Sea the most,” he said.

“Though some islets over which China has sovereignty have been occupied by others, China has always committed to solve the problem by peaceful negotiations,” Xi added.

“China is committed to working with countries with a direct stake in the issue to solve the dispute on the basis of respect of historical facts, according to international laws and through discussions and negotiations.”

China has the confidence and ability to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, Xi said.

Comment meant for US

In what appeared to be a comment directed at the United States, he said China welcomed “countries from outside the region” to have a “positive influence” on peace and development in Asia.

Xi, on the second leg of a Southeast Asian trip that has also taken in Vietnam, has sought to strike a more conciliatory tone on the South China Sea while in the region.

On Friday, China and Vietnam agreed to maintain peace at sea as Xi lauded relations with its much smaller but also communistled neighbor.

Vietnam and China’s competing territorial claims mushroomed into a major dispute last year after China parked an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea, leading to anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.