China will firmly safeguard the freedom of navigation and overflight around the South China Sea, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday at the 12th East Asia Summit. Li said China is the largest country in the South China Sea and a major country that uses the lanes in the sea, thus it shows more interest in safeguarding peace, stability, and navigational freedom in the South China Sea than any other country in the world. He stressed that peace and stability in the South China Sea benefits all countries, and with the joint efforts of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the situation in the South China Sea tends to remain stable and shows positive signs. The related countries in the South China Sea issue have returned to the right track of negotiations and consultations, and their relations have constantly improved, he said. “Leaders of the ASEAN countries and I jointly announced yesterday the start of consultations on the text of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea”, Li said.
