--- description: Admiral Sun Jianguo says Beijing is not trying to make trouble in the South China Sea, but has "no fear" of maritime disputes. title: China 'Unafraid' of South China Sea Disputes, Admiral Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc87fdb0df20db402/698896790a4a222af69c9f3c/rtsg1pv.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Top Admiral Says China Has 'No Fear' Over Disputes in the South China Sea by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 6, 2016 7:23 AM CUT  China's Joint Staff Department Deputy Chief Admiral Sun Jianguo speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 5, 2016 China's Joint Staff Department Deputy Chief Admiral Sun Jianguo speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 5, 2016Edgar Su—Reuters by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 6, 2016 7:23 AM CUT Beijing is not trying to make trouble in the South China Sea, but has “no fear” of maritime disputes with other governments in the region, a top Chinese naval officer [says](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-security-idUSKCN0YR054 "undefined"). Admiral Sun Jianguo of the People’s Liberation Army Navy made the comments in a speech Sunday, Reuters reports, during which he repeated China’s insistence that it doesn’t recognize the authority of a U.N. tribunal that is due to rule on a case [brought](http://time.com/43362/philippines-china-un-intervention-south-china-sea/ "undefined") by the Philippines over the two countries’ overlapping claims. “We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble,” said Sun. China, he said, “will not allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interest, or stay indifferent to some countries creating chaos in the South China Sea.” The speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore came a day ahead of [the start of wide-ranging talks](http://www.france24.com/en/20160606-us-china-start-strategic-economic-dialogue-beijing "undefined") in Beijing on Monday between Chinese officials and a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State John Kerry. China [insists](http://time.com/4247515/south-china-sea-militarization-defense-us/ "undefined") that the U.S. should stay out of the [disputes](http://time.com/4310685/us-navy-john-stennis-south-china-sea-history/ "undefined"), which Chinese officials say should be solved bilaterally between China and counterclaimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-security-idUSKCN0YR054 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4357882/china-navy-sun-jianguo-south-sea-disputes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4357882/china-navy-sun-jianguo-south-sea-disputes/"},"headline":"A Top Admiral Says China Has 'No Fear' Over Disputes in the South China Sea","datePublished":"2016-06-06T07:23:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:24:01.474Z","description":"Admiral Sun Jianguo says China \"will not allow any infringement on its sovereignty\"","url":"https://time.com/4357882/china-navy-sun-jianguo-south-sea-disputes/","keywords":["China","diplomacy","South China Sea","United States"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc87fdb0df20db402/698896790a4a222af69c9f3c/rtsg1pv.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simon Lewis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/simon-lewis/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc87fdb0df20db402/698896790a4a222af69c9f3c/rtsg1pv.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"China's Joint Staff Department Deputy Chief Admiral Sun Jianguo speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore","caption":"China's Joint Staff Department Deputy Chief Admiral Sun Jianguo speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore","creditText":"Edgar Su—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4357882/china-navy-sun-jianguo-south-sea-disputes/","name":"A Top Admiral Says China Has 'No Fear' Over Disputes in the South China Sea"}}]}] ```