A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China's Navy on Saturday finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. (Photo/Xinhua)

The Chinese military adopts a defensive policy when it comes to national security, and is fully confident of its ability to protect China's sovereignty if foreign warships should stir up trouble in the South China Sea, a spokesperson from the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The spokesperson, Yang Yujun, made the remarks during a seminar on Chinese defense policy that was attended by both Chinese and foreign reporters. Yang gave the answer in response to a question about reports that U.S. warships have recently been patrolling near Chinese islands.

"The Chinese military has never been frightened," Yang said. Yang promised that any movement China's military makes in the region will be reasonable, responsible and legitimate. In contrast, he said that some countries' actions in the South China Sea have threatened regional peace and stability.

Yang said that if foreign warships want to "make trouble out of nothing" in the South China Sea, then "of course we have ways to deal with it."

He cited a line from a song in "Shang Gan Ling," a famous Chinese film about China resisting U.S. aggression during the Korean War: "We have wine if friends come, and we have shotguns to greet wolves."

"Personally, I believe that a day of peace and stability in the South China Sea will only come when the U.S. stops making provocations there," said Yang.