China's National Defense Ministry has revealed that US Defense Secretary James Mattis again invited his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe to visit the US. The invitation came while the pair met in Singapore a few days ago. The ministry says the two sides are working closely on the visit. Spokesman Wu Qian said Thursday that China's stances on the South China Sea and Taiwan remain unchanged. He also struck out at the US habit of sending warships to patrol the disputed waterway and the country's recent naval operations in the Taiwan Strait. China and South East Asian Nations are conducting their first-ever joint maritime exercises this week and Wu used the opportunity to contrast regional cooperation with persistent US efforts to interfere from afar.

WU QIAN, SPOKESMAN CHINESE NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTRY "With efforts from China and ASEAN countries, the South China Sea situation is going towards a stable and better outcome. But the US frequently sends warships and other vessels to the South China Sea, and draws countries outside the area to conduct very targeted military exercises and patrols. This is militarizing the South China Sea. We hope the US can take a just and reasonable attitude towards China and the Chinese military, enhance strategic communication with China, prevent strategic misjudgment and exchange trust on the strategic level to steer the China-US relationship onto the right track."