"First of all, the general situation in the South China Sea is stable, and the possibility of a major conflict simply doesn't exist. Therefore, China is against any unconstructive words and deeds that exaggerate differences and stand-off, and create tensions. They don't comply with facts at all," Wang said, speaking at the ASEAN Regional Forum, as cited by Xinhua.
The South China Sea dispute concerns the fate of the Spratly Islands, a group of more than 750 islands and reefs. China has been constructing artificial islands on its coral reefs over the past few months; some feature defense facilities. China, along with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam, claim various parts of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The disputed territories potentially hold large reserves of oil and gas.
The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that it has every right to construct whatever it wants within its own territory, and stressed that the islands will only be used for humanitarian purposes.
On Thursday, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN forum. Amusingly, neither Washington nor Tokyo have territorial claims in the South China Sea. Despite this, the United States keeps provoking China by constantly holding joint military drills with its Asian allies in the region. Understandably, this irritates the Chinese government.
When it comes to making China mad, Japan isn't lagging far behind the United States. Earlier this week, it was reported that Japan is considering the idea of sending reconnaissance aircraft to the Philippines, so it could conduct regular patrols over the South China Sea.
