USA and Australia warn China on sea access

China has also sparred with Vietnam, another ASEAN member, over ownership of the Paracel island group, leading to a weeks-long confrontation a year ago when Beijing moved a massive oil drilling platform into contested waters.

However, the spokesman stressed, China opposes any country’s challenge, in the name of freedom of navigation, to China’s sovereignty and security in the South China Sea.

After the news came out, a certain editorial piece from China’s media outlet The Global Times claimed that the Chinese Military would have to respond through their military force, if, indeed, the US and Australia pursue their navigational activities within the 12 nautical miles of the claimed artificial islands. But on Saturday China mellowed its tone.

“But make no mistake”, he warned “the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever worldwide law allows, as we do around the world”.

China’s Defense Ministry has said that the ASEAN gathering in Beijing is to “promote strategic trust and pragmatic cooperation”.

Richardson declined to address any details on prospective freedom-of-navigation operations, including whether the U.S would communicate with any of the nations with territorial disputes in the area of its operations.

Chunying said the US presence in the region was the “biggest cause of militarization” in the South China Sea.

Webb, who is also a former secretary of the Navy and assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, noted that China first declared its intentions in 2012 when it established a prefecture-level government in Sansha, an island city in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam, in particular, have overlapping claims with China.

Beijing sought to soothe tensions over its South China Sea claims today, saying it will avoid the use of force in the region as the U.S. ponders sending war ships close to territory claimed by the Asian giant. China has claimed the islands are not being militarized despite evidence from satellite images indicating the construction of airstrips or runways. Its neighbors and the United States dispute this claim and say China has simply snapped up the islands.

“We will need more of these initiatives and Singapore supports China’s leadership to promote stability and security in Asia”, he said during a panel discussion at the three- day event that began on Friday.

Concerned nations have no alternative but to jointly deal with disputes in the South China Sea that pose a threat to the development and prosperity of parties in the region.

The event will give Beijing “a louder voice”, according to a comment piece in the state-run China Daily newspaper, which added that it will help correct characterisations of China as “aggressive”.

Sovereignty over the islands has become sacred in China, and when President Xi Jinping visited Washington last month, it was one issue where he and US President Obama did not see eye to eye.