Fan Changlong, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, said over the weekend that China "will never recklessly resort to the use of force" even when it comes to sovereignty issues, and the construction of islands in the South China Sea is for the benefit of the international community.
Fan's comments were made during the Sixth Xiangshan Forum, an international gathering hosted by China that focuses on Asia-Pacific security.
Fan also said that China's projects in the South China Sea "will not affect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea." His comments were made following the construction of several lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef, where China has placed garrisons.
China will continue to build facilities with civilian purposes in the international interest, according to a speech delivered by Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin at a gathering on Saturday.
"Countries alongside the South China Sea and vessels sailing through the waters will receive better service," said Liu.
Fan also said that China will continue to resolve territorial disputes through friendly consultations with directly related parties. Fan said that China "has done its utmost effort to avoid unexpected conflicts."
During the forum, senior defense officials and scholars talked about the importance of prioritizing cooperation when tensions arise in the region.
Yan Xuetong, dean of Tsinghua University's Institute of Modern International Relations, mentioned that "cooperation could even be started when trust is absent," regarding conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Don't make the absence of trust an excuse for no cooperation. We could embark on preventive cooperation first," said Yan, expressing the need to prevent conflicts developing between China and the United States.
According to Yan, preventive cooperation between China and the U.S. has been effective and could be expanded from its current bilateral context to a multilateral one.