China says it won’t militarize South China Sea

President Barack Obama, eighth right, and other leaders participate in the East Asia Summit family photo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. Leaders are, from left, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Laos’ Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Obama, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

KUALA LUMPUR — China says it has no intention to militarize the South China Sea, even though it has increased construction activities in the disputed area.

Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin has urged countries to “not deliberately stir up trouble” in the strategically vital area.

Liu was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Asian summit on Sunday.

Liu reiterated China’s position that the expansion was designed to “provide public service” to the region by helping ships and fishermen, as well as disaster relief efforts. He said this also included military facilities to protect the islands and reefs, which are located far from mainland China.

Concerns have been growing over the rapid appearance of islands created by piling sand atop reefs and atolls controlled by China, which is now adding harbors, air strips and large buildings. The U.S. and others have called on Beijing to halt those projects, saying they are destabilizing an increasingly militarized region.

Ten Southeast Asian heads of state and nine world leaders, including President Barack Obama, are meeting in Malaysia to discuss trade and economic issues. Terrorism and disputes over the South China Sea are also on the agenda.