Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan has called on the armed forces and the citizenry to be ready to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of increasing tension in the South China Sea region.

During the People's Liberation Army's  (PLA) 89th founding anniversary last weekend, Chang said the volatile situation in the disputed sea poses a threat of an imminent confrontation between Chinese forces and foreign navies patrolling in the disputed sea under the principle of freedom of navigation.

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According to state-run Xinhua news agency, Chang made the comments while inspecting military facilities in Zhejiang province.

"The seriousness of the national security situation should be recognized, particularly when it comes to threats posed at sea," Chang said.

'People's war at sea'

Chang said he expects the 2.3 million strong PLA, the police, and the general population to be ready to be deployed in case of a "people's war at sea."

The defense minister said it was about time that the citizenry is taught about national defense issues including the South China Sea conflict to be able to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Chang's statement comes on the heels of heightened tensions in the South China Sea region where Beijing has been building artificial islands and facilities on territories which are also being claimed by its Southeast Asian neighbors.

Freedom of navigation

The US Navy, operating in the South China Sea under the freedom of navigation principle, has deployed fighter jets and warships in the region saying it wants to ensure the rights of foreign nations to use of the strategic waterway.

US forces have been conducting multilateral military exercises with foreign navies in the region angering China.

Beijing recently warned Australia and the United States to cease their navigation patrols near Chinese-controlled territories or face "disaster."

Beijing said the US' naval and aerial patrols near its controlled islands constitutes provocative acts and will be dealt with by the country's army.

Rhetoric

Analysts claim Beijing has resorted to this rhetoric in a bid to justify its claims to the disputed sea following the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejecting China's territorial claims in the region.

The Hague-based international arbitration court said there is no legal basis for China's "historic claims" of ownership to islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line.

The ruling also said that Beijing violated international law and the Philippines' right to explore its exclusive economic zone.

China refused to participate in the court proceedings and has dismissed the ruling as "null and void" and a complete "political farce." 

TagsChinese citizenry, South China Sea, People's Liberation Army, war, china