While the government of the United States has been criticizing China's moves in the South China Sea, a US scholar defended China, saying the country's claims in the South China Sea actually make sense, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.

In an article published on the website of a bi-monthly international affairs magazine in the United States, US scholar Greg Austin said the issue in the Nansha Islands is a core interest because it involves sovereign territory.

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Austin is a professorial fellow with the East West Institute in New York. He is also a visiting professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra in Australia.

In the article on the website of The National Interest, Austin described as not factual any assumption that China has expanded its maritime claims because it now feels more powerful.

"China's primary motivation in recent South China Sea military activities, then, is to defend what it sees as its island territories which neighboring countries have attempted to usurp," Austin said.

He added that China only shows its willingness to strongly act to defend the sovereignty claims that have been in place, Austin said in his article entitled "Why Beijing's South China Sea Moves Make Sense Now".

The US scholar's article bucked the trend of US stories criticizing China for its alleged militarization of the South China Sea and supported the country's claim that it does not have any ill motives in developing the territory.

Last month, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that the construction on the South China Sea is aimed at improving the living conditions of those living in the area.

Liu said the move was China's performance of its obligation and should not be misconstrued as an attempt to stamp its military powers in the body of water, which is a vital passageway for international trade.

Tagsterritorial disputes, China Territory