Maritime disputes feature heavily at Shangri-La Dialogue

China hits back at Hagel comments

China initiated tit-for-tat reaction to criticism on maritime issues at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue as the country is expected to exhibit tougher diplomacy.

"China has had sovereignty over the Xisha and Nansha Islands in the South China Sea for more than 2,000 years and there have been no doubts on that from neighboring countries for a long time," said Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the summit on Sunday.

Wang added that the recent disputes are mainly a result of the discovery of oil reserves in the 1970s, reported the PLA Daily.

Meanwhile, China's JH-7 fighter-bombers have been on regular missions to support Chinese coast guards and guard the oil rig in the Xisha Islands, according to the IHS Jane's Defense Weekly.

"It is a blatant provocation through illusive remarks directed at China. China has never started any conflicts, but we have to respond to provocations started by some countries," Wang said.

This came after Japan and the US made speeches on China's South China Sea disputes with neighboring countries including Vietnam and the Philippines at the summit.

Multiple vessel collisions have occurred between China and Vietnam in the waters of a Chinese oil rig operating near the Xisha Islands and led to riots targeting foreign companies in Vietnam's southern industrial zones last month, while Vietnam have stated that it was considering suing China over the territorial row.

The Philippines have already filed legal action to resolve the disputes in the South China Sea.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the US was committed to geopolitical rebalance in the region.

"China has undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea. We firmly oppose any nation's use of intimidation, coercion or the threat of force to assert these claims," said Hagel.

Japan also vowed to play a "more proactive role" in making peace and it would support ASEAN countries' efforts, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the summit, the BBC reported.

Wang described Hagel's speech as "full of hegemony, full of words of threat and intimidation … to create troubles and make provocations."

China will continue to step up dialogue and coordination with ASEAN in defense and security areas, Wang said.

Jin Canrong, deputy director of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that it may become "normal practice" for China and the US to leave "aggressive" comments. "But the outspokenness in public does not indicate the two sides will reach beyond the bottom line," said Jin.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, officially known as the Asian Security Summit, is organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank.

Alexander Neill, a senior research fellow with IISS, said that the summit is an open platform and would like to cooperate with China to hold a branch dialogue in the country.

An anonymous military representative from Indonesia told the Global Times that China is more similar to ASEAN countries in terms of economic development and the security order in Asia could not be solid without China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping clearly stated during his visit to Europe in March that the new security concept in Asia would not exclude countries beyond the region, and Europe is still "observing" the construction of Asia's security order, according to Francois Godement, head of the Asia and China Program of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Godement told the Global Times that the military alliance between Japan and the US shares a sound basis in the narrow definition of military security. It would be fragile once the definition broadens.

"The EU has shown a conservative and meticulous attitude toward participation in Asian security affairs. Europe has more interests in economic cooperation with Asia," Godement said.

A senior military official from Israel told the Global Times that the US should be cautious in its Asia pivot strategy.

"It is so far hard to see what core assets the US is holding to make the policy work effectively and smoothly. It would require in-depth observation and plans in advance to judge the situation in the Middle East if it failed to realize the strategy," the unnamed official said.