Minister: It’s our right to protect South China Sea in case of threats

Ongoing row: A lighthouse on Mischief Reef in the highly disputed Spratly Islands. — China Daily / Asia News Network

BEIJING: China could set up an air defence identification zone over the South China Sea if it felt threatened, a senior diplomat said amid rising maritime tensions caused by the Philippines’ arbitration case.

The declaration of such a zone, which would require aircraft entering the zone to identify themselves to the military, will depend on “the level of threat we receive,” said Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin.