China lauds Mattis' call for diplomatic push on South China Sea

It is "worthy of recognition" that the US defense secretary stressed a diplomatic push in the South China Sea disputes, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday after the Pentagon chief played down any need for major US military moves in the South China Sea.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' comment of no need for US military operations in the South China Sea deserved to be recognized, and China also insists handling maritime disputes directly through diplomatic channels between the relevant parties, spokesman Lu Kang said at a routine news conference on Monday.

Countries not involved should respect the common interests and wishes of the nations in the South China Sea region as the relevant parties have agreed to handle disputes through dialogues, he said.

During his visit to Tokyo on Saturday, Mattis said that the South China Sea disputes should be resolved through diplomatic channels first.

"There is no need right now at this time for military maneuvers or something like that, that would solve something that’s best solved by the diplomats," he told reporters, adding that the US Navy would continue to exercises "freedom of navigation rights" in the South China Sea.

On Sunday, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada ruled out the possibility of the Self-Defense Forces participating in US military operations in the South China Sea.

"I told Secretary Mattis that Japan supports the US military’s freedom of navigation operation in the sea," Inada said on a TV program Sunday. "But the SDF will not be sent to the area."

The US defense secretary's remarks of resolving the South China Sea disputes through diplomacy should be encouraged because "flexing military muscles will do no good" to the resolution of disputes, said Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.