By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) – The South China Sea is without doubt one of the world’s freest and most secure delivery lanes, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned on Tuesday, arguing that Beijing’s management over the disputed waters was justified as a result of it was the primary to “discover” them.

China has come below hearth from the United States and its allies in current months over its land reclamation actions within the South China Sea, by which $5 trillion in ship-borne commerce passes yearly.

The U.S. Navy has carried out freedom of navigation workout routines, crusing close to disputed islands to underscore its rights to function within the seas.

Those patrols, and stories that China is deploying superior missiles, fighters and radar tools on islands there, have led Washington and Beijing to commerce accusations of militarizing the area.

The freedom of navigation doesn’t equal the “freedom to run amok,” Wang instructed his yearly information convention on the sidelines of China’s annual parliament assembly.

“In fact, based on the joint efforts of China and other regional countries, the South China Sea is currently one of the safest and freest shipping lanes in the world,” Wang mentioned.

“China was the earliest to explore, name, develop and administer various South China Sea islands. Our ancestors worked diligently here for generations,” Wang mentioned.

“History will prove who is the visitor and who is the genuine host,” he mentioned, including that China would “consider inviting” international journalists to islands below its management when the circumstances are proper.

China was neither the earliest nation to deploy weapons to the South China Sea nor the nation with essentially the most weapons there, Wang added, with out saying which nation was.

Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, however Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has warned of “specific consequences” if China takes “aggressive” motion within the area.

He has mentioned the U.S. army was growing deployments to the Asia-Pacific area and would spend $425 million by 2020 to pay for extra workout routines and coaching with nations within the area that had been unnerved by China’s actions.

Wang was additionally requested concerning the Philippines case in opposition to China in an arbitration courtroom in The Hague on the South China Sea dispute. Manila has requested Beijing to respect the choice, which is anticipated in May.

China refuses to acknowledge the case and says all disputes needs to be resolved by bilateral talks.

Wang repeated that China was fairly inside its rights to not take part and accused unnamed others of being behind the case.

“The Philippines’ stubbornness is clearly the result of behind-the-scene instigation and political manipulation,” he mentioned, with out elaborating. (Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Michael Perry)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.