China hopes for joint efforts to maintain South China Sea peace, official

（Xinhua）  17:08, July 19, 2013  

BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said on Friday that China will continue its efforts to promote peace, cooperation, stability and development in the South China Sea region.

Liu made the remarks while addressing the Second Workshop on Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea.

"We expect that the countries concerned may show more political willingness, make joint efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and create a win-win situation," Liu said.

Cooperation and development is the mainstream in the South China Sea situation, and China and other East Asian countries will work together to maintain peace and stability in the region, Liu said.

He added, "Although the disputes regarding the South China Sea issue were not created by China, the country has been keeping a responsible attitude and seeking solutions through negotiation."

Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration, said the South China Sea region has become a region with the most robust energy and development potentials in the world.

However, it is also facing challenges in the fields of marine environment, marine disasters and maritime security, and related disputes are also increasing, according to Chen.

He suggested fortifying the current multilateral cooperation framework and launching more regional collaboration projects in less-sensitive areas.

More than 60 experts from research institutes from China's mainland and Taiwan, countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, the United States and Britain as well as international organizations attended Friday's workshop.