China's foreign minister on Sunday defended his government's controversial policy of reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea, which has sparked regional concern, and said Beijing is not seeking to overturn the international order.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to set Southeast Asian minds at ease over the country's ambitions, but Beijing's reclamation work in the Spratlys underscores its drive to push claims in the South China Sea and reassert its rights.
China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.