BEIJING, Oct. 16 (UPI) — China took a different approach to disputes in the South China Sea on Friday, by suggesting joint naval drills with Southeast Asian nations.
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan told a gathering of ASEAN defense ministers Beijing would be open to cooperation, and that the drills would be for “maritime rescues and disaster relief,” the BBC reported.
China has been met with opposition by Vietnam and the Philippines for its land reclamation activities in the disputed Spratly Islands. China has claimed the islands are not being militarized despite evidence from satellite images indicating the construction of airstrips or runways. China also is under criticism from Vietnam for allegedly building two lighthouses in the Spratlys.
The United States and China also have been at odds over the reclamation, and on Tuesday Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had said U.S. ships and aircraft would fly wherever international law allows for movement and despite China’s territorial claims.
“Make no mistake, we will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits…We will do that in the time and place of our choosing,” Carter had said in Boston where the United States and Australia signed a defense cooperation statement.
Chang said that China-ASEAN joint drills would support stability and reduce conflict, TIME reported.
“At present the regional situation is generally stable, but there are obvious downward economic pressures and non-traditional security challenges are increasing,” Chang said, in a statement that suggested the exercises would serve as a preventative measure.
Daniel Wei Boon Chua, a military studies researcher at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the offer could defuse tensions with ASEAN and would be a “confidence building measure.”
ASEAN has had internal disagreements on a coordinated response to China.
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