China is not militarizing the South China Sea, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday, although he acknowledged that defense equipment in islands in the disputed waterway had been placed there to maintain “freedom of navigation”. China has drawn international criticism for large-scale building in the South China Sea, although Li told reporters in Australia the development was for civilian purposes only. China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the strategic waterway.

China is not militarizing South China Sea – Premier Li. (2017, March 25). Manila Bulletin, p. 4.