Beijing has rejected claims from Washington that it is militarizing the South China Sea. Here's Hua Chunying from the Foreign Ministry.

HUA CHUNYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "The US is like a robber playing a cop. The US military presence in the South China Sea is greater than that of China and other countries that surround the seas combined. China is not the first to deploy weapons in the South China Sea, nor is it engaging in the most amount of military activities. It is our legitimate right to deploy military facilities for defense in our territorial Islands."

The Chinese foreign ministry also responded to Washington renaming its US Pacific Command "US Indo-Pacific Command". Hua said no matter what the name is, the US should play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. She also discarded a comment by outgoing commander Harry Harris that China was a challenge for Washington in the region.

HUA CHUNYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "A country who is obsessed with hegemony will always feel insecure that other countries might take it away. China has been stressing that it will never seek hegemony and expansion. I wonder whether the US can do the same."