SINGAPORE, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The 16th Shangri-La Dialogue concluded here on Sunday, and during the three-day forum, the Chinese delegation reaffirmed China's stances on multiple issues and successfully made China's voice heard.
The issues include U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, navigation in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the international and regional rules, among others.
Lt. Gen. He Lei, vice president of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Saturday here at a press briefing that the Chinese government and Chinese people strongly oppose U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
He Lei, who led a PLA delegation to the dialogue, said, "On the Taiwan issue, one should not just mention the Taiwan Relations Act, the three China-U.S. joint communiques should also be mentioned, thus giving a full picture of the issue."
The three joint communiques, namely the Shanghai Communique, the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the August 17 communique, form the political foundation of the China-U.S. relations.
Regarding navigation in the South China Sea, the senior Chinese military official said, "I think freedom of navigation can't equate to close-in surveillance," highlighting that freedom of navigation has never been a problem in the South China Sea.
"China firmly opposes close-in surveillance conducted by military aircraft and vessels in the adjacent waters and airspace of the Chinese islands, and such military activities do not fall into the category of freedom of navigation," He Lei said.
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