China's decision to establish an air defense identification zone around disputed waters in the South China Sea will depend on an assesment of its security situation.
The country's rapid reclamation program of the disputed islands has lead to speculattion that China will declare what is known as an "Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)," which would require any aircraft entering the region to identify itself to Chinese authorites, according to Reuters.
Admiral Sun Jianguo, the deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army in China, said during a security forum in Singapore that the move "depends on whether our security in air and maritime will be threatened and extensive factors will be taken into consideration," the Daily Mail reported.
Sun also insisted that China's actions are "peaceful and legitimate" and called on other countries to stop sowing discord over the matter at hand.
"There is no reason for people to play up this issue in the South China Sea," he said.
Sun then dismissed comments made by U.S. defense secretary Ashton Carter from Saturday that the Chinese construction work augments the possibility of having "miscalculation or conflict," but he did not answer further questions about the issue, The Irish Independent reported.
