China Rejects Neighbors' Claims To South China Sea, As Asian Ministers Warn Of Escalating Tensions By Mark Hanrahan

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected neighboring countries' territorial claims in the South China Sea Thursday, as Asian foreign ministers at a summit warned that land reclamation activities had “increased tensions,” in the region.

Wang rejected territorial claims from both Japan and the Philippines to parts of the South China Sea, speaking at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). He said that the Philippines had “illegally occupied” islands and reefs in the region, and added that China was “entitled to defend its own sovereignty, rights and interests,” according to a report from China's state-run news agency Xinhua. He also branded an attempt by the Philippines to have its territorial dispute arbitrated by an international panel as an attempt to smear China.