“wants good ties with Southeast Asia” China Defence Minister Chang

A conciliatory tone struck on Friday with Southeast Asia defence leaders, saying that all needed to work difficult to preserve stability and peace against risks, including instigation by foreign powers.

Chang said the largest demand that was common was to preserve equilibrium.

China says it faces a danger from Islamist militants in its far western area of Xinjiang, who it says frequently make use of the web link up with groups beyond China to distribute propaganda and support strikes.

Chang included that China is prepared to work with ASEAN to foster military cooperation and together preserve equilibrium and regional peace.

Chang made no direct reference of the South China Sea in front of reporters, who were just permitted to listen to the very first couple of minutes of his opening comments.

China stepped up the development of artificial islands in the South China Sea last year.

Media reports say America has made a decision to run independence-of-navigation operations inside 12 nautical mile limits that China maintains around isles constructed on reefs in the Spratly archipelago.

China denies it’s militarised the South China Sea, saying building work is mainly for civilian purposes, and has warned that Beijing wouldn’t stand in the name of liberty of navigation for breaches of its own territorial waters.

America says that it’s essential to keep independence of navigation and that under international law building artificial islands up on formerly submerged reefs doesn’t entitle a state to assert a territorial limit.