Wang terms claims that country is expanding presence in South China Sea as baseless

The Nanshazhou of Xisha Xuande Islands is a tiny islet in the middle of South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

It's "totally ungrounded" to assume that China is expanding its presence in the South China Sea during the COVID-19 pandemic, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

In a video news conference held on the sidelines of the third plenary session of the 13th National People's Congress, Wang said the truth is that China is focusing on cooperating with ASEAN countries to fight the pandemic.

The situation in the South China Sea keeps getting more stabilized and better, Wang said, adding that China and ASEAN countries are making progress in marine cooperation.

The negotiation over a code of conduct in the South China Sea is progressing with order, and China and ASEAN countries have reached a firm consensus over forming such a conduct at an early date, Wang said.

China will restart the negotiation with ASEAN countries, which is now suspended due to the pandemic, Wang said.

On the other hand, some individual countries have kept dispatching military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea and trying to disrupt the good situation in the region, Wang said.