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 In a policy document issued by the State Council, the
Communist-ruled country's cabinet, China vowed to increase its "open
seas protection", switching from air defense to both offense and
defense, and criticized neighbors who take "provocative actions" on
its reefs and islands.
China has been taking an increasingly assertive posture over recent
years in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where Beijing
has engaged in land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago.
China, which claims most of the South China Sea, criticized
Washington after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs
last week, with both sides accusing each other of stoking
instability.
It has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion
in ship-borne trade passes every year.
Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said China's reclamation in
the Spratlys was comparable with construction of homes and roads on
the mainland.
 "From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no
difference," he told reporters.
Some countries with "ulterior motives" had unfairly characterized
China's military presence and sensationalized the issue, he said.
Surveillance in the region was increasingly common and China would
continue to take "necessary measures" to respond.
"Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea
affairs. A tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea
surveillance and reconnaissance against China," the strategy paper
said in a thinly veiled reference to the United States.
OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
It said China's air force would shift its focus from territorial air
defense to both offense and defense, and building airspace defenses
with stronger military capabilities.
China also hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the building of two
lighthouses in the South China Sea, broadcast on state television,
defying calls from the United States and the Philippines for a
freeze on such activity.
The construction was to help maritime search and rescue, disaster
relief, environmental protection and navigational security, Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
Wu Shicun, president of the government-affiliated National Institute
for South China Sea Studies, said the lighthouses were among the
first of planned civilian-use facilities in the region.
"The reefs are located near an important commercial shipping route,
so there will be continued development to maintain the security of
those shipping lanes," he said in an interview with Reuters.
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The People's Liberation Army's nuclear force, known as the Second
Artillery Corps, would also strengthen its capabilities for
deterrence and nuclear counterattack as well as medium- and
long-range precision strikes, the paper said.
"China faces many complex maritime security threats and challenges
and requires a navy that can carry out multifaceted missions and
protect its sovereignty," Wang Jin, a senior colonel, told
reporters.
The paper also cited "grave threats" to China's cyber
infrastructure, adding that China would hasten development of a
cyber military force.
Self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, called
on all South China Sea claimants to shelve their disagreements to
enable talks on sharing resources before a conflict breaks out.
Japan meanwhile will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise
for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the
three countries as tensions fester over China's moves.
All three nations have said they are concerned about freedom of
movement through the South China Sea and air space.
China's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday it had carried out
military training for party cadres from border and coastal areas on
border defense, among other topics.
The trainees, who visited military combat units, developed a better
understanding of the "national security situation", said a statement
on the ministry's website.
(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Michael Martina in Beijing
and Matt Siegel in Sydney; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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