U.S. is to blame for South China Sea militarization, not China: spokesperson

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday said that militarization of the South China Sea should not be blamed on China, but on the United States.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when commenting on relevant military activities by the U.S. side on the South China Sea.

Wu said that China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, and its deployment of necessary defense facilities is not only the legitimate right of a sovereign state, but also in full compliance with relevant international law and practice.

Facts have proven that the U.S. side is the biggest instigator of the militarization of the South China Sea, and the biggest destroyer and troublemaker to the regional peace and stability, he added.

Wu also mentioned that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the issuance of the Shanghai Communique. "We hope the U.S. side will work with China to draw experience and wisdom from history, and steer the relations between the two countries and two militaries back to the right track of healthy and steady development as soon as possible, so as to make greater contributions to world peace and stability."