China berates NZ over South China Sea stanceFAIRFAX NZ The top Chinese official made her comments immediately after New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee spoke at the start of the forum. New Zealand's stance on tensions in the disputed South China Sea was slammed, with China saying countries "not involved" should not interfere. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. READ MORE:* South China Sea: meet the man who stared down China* NZ calls for all parties to respect ruling on South China Sea* John Key's trip begins with warning; don't mention South China Sea* NZ reaction to South China Sea ruling treads gently over China's lossWe "hope countries who are not involved in the disputes respect the countries who are having the disputes to ... work among themselves", Fu Ying, chairwoman of China's foreign affairs committee for parliament, said at the Xiangshan Forum, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore. China says much of the building and reclamation work it has been doing in the South China Sea is to benefit the international community, including improving civilian maritime navigation.

Source: Stuff October 11, 2016 09:00 UTC