China is committed to peace and stability in the contested South China Sea, the country's Premier Li Keqiang has said during a visit to Indonesia.
"Together, China and ASEAN will safeguard peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea," Li said in a statement after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, referring to the regional grouping, the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
In a piece in the The Jakarta Post ahead of his Indonesia visit, Li said China and Indonesia were seeking to promote a new form of international relations that emphasises "respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation."
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key shipping lane believed to be rich in marine and mineral resources. The other claimants are the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
"China is committed to closer maritime cooperation to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation for the benefit of all peoples in the region," he wrote.
Since 2012, China has stepped up island reclamations and construction in the disputed territories in the South China Sea, including building structures that appear to have military capabilities.
In 2016, an international tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing has no legal or historical basis for its so-called "nine-dash line," which demarcates its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
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