China firmly rejects U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan's "false remarks" on South China Sea,  Lieutenant General Shao Yuanming, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, said on Saturday. 

Shao was referring to the American official's remarks during his speech at the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), which opened on Friday in Singapore.

China welcomes the U.S. wish to develop a stable relationship between the militaries of the two counties, but "we resolutely reject" some "false remarks" made by Shanahan when addressing a plenary session at the dialogue, said Shao.

The Chinese response came after Shanahan, who held a "constructive and productive" meeting with China's State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Friday, accused China of sabotaging freedom of navigation and creating instability in Asia.

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Shao said China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands and reefs and the neighboring waters in the South China Sea, based on sufficient historical and legal facts.

For a long time, the normal navigation and overflight activities in the South China Sea region by various countries have always been smooth and uninterrupted. "The freedom of navigation and overflight has never been an issue," he said.

The United States has been dispatching warships and aircraft to the nearby airspace and waters of the South China Sea islands and reefs, and implementing frequent close-up reconnaissance and targeted military drills. These acts are harmful to regional peace and stability, Shao said.

"We deploy necessary defense facilities according to the security situation faced by the islands and reefs of the South China Sea. This is the absolute right of a sovereign country, and the necessary response to provocative actions," he said.

Shao said under the joint efforts of China and other countries along the South China Sea, mutual trust among regional countries has been notably strengthened, and the overall situation of the South China Sea is stable and improving.

"Countries in the region have absolute willingness, wisdom and capability to contain differences, jointly promote peace, and build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation," the senior Chinese official said.

Meanwhile on Friday, Wei Fenghe held "positive and constructive" talks with Shanahan in Singapore, with both sides agreeing that a stable China-U.S. military relationship is very important, Shao said.

"The two militaries will firmly implement the consensuses reached by the two heads of state, deepen exchanges and cooperation, contain divergence and risks, so as to make the bilateral military relationship the stabilizer of bilateral relations," he said.

He Lei, former deputy director of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Science, said that China will never be a threat to other countries, and will always work to protect world peace.

"No matter how China develops, it will pose no threat to other countries. We will never seek hegemony or territorial expansion, nor will we engage in an arms race with any country. Therefore, as long as you truly understand China's foreign policy and national defense policy, you will not worry about the development of China's military strength, which is just a growth of the world peace forces," He said.

At the opening ceremony of the dialogue on Friday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a keynote speech on the security challenges facing the region. Lee said that although tensions between China and the United States are intensifying, confrontation is not inevitable.

He also said that China and the U.S. should cooperate with other countries to jointly safeguard world peace and development, which was echoed by Chinese military experts.

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong uttered the voice of small and medium-sized countries represented by Singapore. He expected that China and the United States will establish a constructive and stable relationship. I think this is indeed a voice from the international community," said Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher from the PLA Academy of Military Science. 

"Especially the enormous delegation from the United States are present this evening, and I think they have truly heard this voice. We all know that it is the United States that is destructing the stability of China-U.S. relations. It is the series of measures, even some rude and excessive ones, taken by the U.S.," he added.

(With inputs from Xinhua News Agency)