China says wants peace after paper warns on South China Sea clash | Reuters

BEIJING China's government sought to downplay fears of conflict in the South China Sea after an influential state-run newspaper said on Tuesday that Beijing should prepare for military confrontation.

Editorials in the Global Times newspaper ahead of a July 12 international court ruling on competing claims in the South China Sea by China and the Philippines said the dispute had already been complicated by U.S. intervention.

It faced further escalation due to the threat posed by The Hague-based tribunal to China's sovereignty, the paper said.

"Washington has deployed two carrier battle groups around the South China Sea, and it wants to send a signal by flexing its muscles: As the biggest powerhouse in the region, it awaits China's obedience," the Global Times said.

The paper said China should speed up development of its military deterrence. While it could not keep up with the United States in the short-term, "it should be able to let the U.S. pay a cost it cannot stand if it intervenes in the South China Sea dispute by force," the paper said.

"China hopes disputes can be resolved by talks, but it must be prepared for any military confrontation. This is common sense in international relations."

Asked about the editorials and whether conflict could break out in the South China Sea, where China's territorial claims overlap in parts with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was committed to peace.

"China will work with ASEAN countries to safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea," he told a news briefing, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"As for the relevant dispute, China does not accept any decision imposed by a third party as a means of resolution, nor any solution plan that is forced upon China."