Facilities on Xisha Islands have nothing to do with code of conduct, ministry says
Deploying national defense facilities on the Xisha Islands has nothing to do with negotiations over a code of conduct on the South China Sea, China said on Thursday.
The comment was made as Beijing emphasized the efforts made by the country in negotiations to arrive at the code.
Deploying such facilities “is irrelevant to a comprehensive implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or to the consultations over the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei during a media briefing.
Hong made the remarks in response to speculation that China had deployed missiles on disputed islands in the South China Sea and that the country appeared not to be serious about consultations over the code.
Western media have been following closely China’s defense facilities on the Xisha Islands since FoxNews reported on Tuesday that Beijing had deployed a missile system on Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands.

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