China pledges peace in sea territorial disputes

By Liz Neisloss, CNN

Robert Gates shakes hands with China's Defence Minister Liang Guanglie at the Asia Security Summit on Friday in Singapore.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Defense minister says China is keeping its agreements to a peaceful resolution
Chinese military has been accused of harassment in the South China Sea
The area rich in oil deposits is rife with territorial disputes

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(CNN) -- China reassured its neighbors Sunday that it will maintain "peace and stability" in the turbulent South China Sea, a day after the U.S. renewed concerns over territorial disputes.

Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie said China was keeping its agreements to the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes.

However, Liang underscored the "freedom of navigation and overflight" in the South China Sea.

Chinese military has been accused of harassment in the waters recently.

The area rich in oil deposits is rife with territorial disputes with claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. It's considered to be one of Asia's more dangerous potential flashpoints.

Liang said China is no threat to world peace, noting its military policy is purely defensive.

"To judge whether a country is a threat to world peace," he said, "the key is not to look at how strong its economy or military is, but the policy it pursues."

He sought to relieve concerns about China's modernization of its powerful military, saying "no matter how developed it may be, China will never seek hegemony or military expansion."

Vietnamese defense minister, Gen. Phung Quang Thanh, reiterated calls for the conclusion of a code of conduct between the regional organization ASEAN and China to help restrain disputes in the South China Sea.

In his speech, Thanh recounted a May 26 incident when surveying cables of a Vietnamese oil exploration vessel were cut.

Vietnam has handled the incident with "patience," he said, adding that they "expect no repetition of similar incidents."

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said last month that the disputes in the South China Sea could spur a regional arms race.

The Philippines accused China of intimidation in disputed oil-rich Spratly islands in the South China Sea, where its oil exploration ship was confronted by Chinese ships in March.

The U.S has expressed concern about the potential for clashes in the region.

In 2010, China was angered when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for peaceful resolution of the competing claims, saying it was in the U.S. "national interest."

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday warned that clashes could occur in the sea if nations do not agree on ways to deal with disputes.