Loading ...China declares right to set up air defence zone in South China Sea
China said on Wednesday it has the right to set up an air defence zone over the South China Sea, a move that would heighten tensions following a landmark tribunal ruling.
“If our security is being threatened, of course we have the right to demarcate a zone,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said, following a UN-backed ruling on Tuesday that Beijing had no legal basis for its expansive claims in the strategic waters.
Beijing has already said it does not recognise the court’s ruling, which upheld a challenge from the Philippines that China had breached its sovereign rights with its actions in the region.