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| China suggests joint South China Sea drills with Asean | China suggests joint South China Sea drills with Asean |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| China has proposed joint maritime drills with South East Asian nations in the hotly-contested South China Sea in 2016. | China has proposed joint maritime drills with South East Asian nations in the hotly-contested South China Sea in 2016. |
| Beijing is currently hosting an informal meeting for defence ministers from the region. | Beijing is currently hosting an informal meeting for defence ministers from the region. |
| China's Defence Minister Chang Wanquan has suggested drills for "maritime rescues and disaster relief". | |
| China's reclamation activities in the sea in recent years have raised tensions with its neighbours. | China's reclamation activities in the sea in recent years have raised tensions with its neighbours. |
| The Philippines and Vietnam, in particular, have overlapping claims with China. | The Philippines and Vietnam, in particular, have overlapping claims with China. |
| China's proposal comes a week after the US announced it was considering sending ships in the South China Sea to an area China has claimed for itself, a plan which China has rebuked. | China's proposal comes a week after the US announced it was considering sending ships in the South China Sea to an area China has claimed for itself, a plan which China has rebuked. |
| Read more: What is the South China Sea dispute? | Read more: What is the South China Sea dispute? |
| The suggestion for joint drills was made on Friday at a meeting with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional alliance. | The suggestion for joint drills was made on Friday at a meeting with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional alliance. |
| The drills would be one way of achieving the aim of "jointly solving disputes and controlling risks", China's defence ministry said in a statement. | The drills would be one way of achieving the aim of "jointly solving disputes and controlling risks", China's defence ministry said in a statement. |
| China has been accused of militarisation and illegally expanding its maritime claims by reclaiming land around island reefs and building airstrips and structures on them. The US has called on China to halt such activities. | China has been accused of militarisation and illegally expanding its maritime claims by reclaiming land around island reefs and building airstrips and structures on them. The US has called on China to halt such activities. |
| Vietnam on Tuesday alleged that China was constructing two lighthouses in the Spratly islands, and said it "resolutely rejects and vehemently protests China's action." The country saw anti-Chinese protests last year over a Chinese oil rig into a disputed area. | |
| The Philippines has also taken China to a United Nations tribunal for arbitration over China's claims, although Beijing has refused to participate in the process. | |
| China has insisted that it is developing areas within its sovereignty and that the structures are for civilian purposes such as fishing and rescue work. |