European countries have jumped into the South China Sea fray as France called for more European naval patrols in the international waterway, invoking the international principle of freedom of navigation and upholding the law of the seas.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday urged European navies to have a 'regular and visible' presence in the South China Sea region to "contain the risk of conflict."

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"If we want to contain the risk of conflict, we must defend this right and defend it ourselves," he said on Sunday during a three-day security conference dubbed 'Shangri-La Dialogue,' which was held in Singapore.

Heavy criticisms

Although the French minister did not explicitly accuse China of initiating the South China Sea conflict, his remarks translated to heavy criticisms of Beijing's reclamation and construction work as well as the deployment of military assets to the disputed waters.

"If the law of the sea is not respected today in the China seas, it will be threatened tomorrow in the Arctic, in the Mediterranean, or elsewhere," Le Drian emphasized.

France's position on the South China Sea dispute is the latest negative comment from the international community against Beijing's growing assertiveness in the international waterway where more than $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes through each year.

Shangri-La Dialogue

The Shangri-La Dialogue, a multinational security summit, brought together high-level defense officials and diplomats in the region and beyond to discuss security challenges facing Asia, specifically the bitter conflict between the US, China, and other South China Sea claimant nations.

Beijing defended its stance in the forum saying that it is exercising its sovereign rights to the islands and accused the US of interfering in China's internal affairs in the region.

During the conference, China received more criticisms from other countries for its aggressive actions in the South China Sea with US defense secretary Ashton Carter issuing a threat to Beijing.

Carter, in his speech, said any reclamation work by Beijing on the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal would attract 'consequences' from the US military.

The US and the Philippines are signatories to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty under which both countries are committed to defending one another when attacked by a third party.

TagsEuropean naval patrols, Freedom of Navigation, Shangri-La Dialogue, security summit, reclamation work, South China Sea, china