The New York Times reports that China on Sunday told other countries not to "deliberately stir up trouble" in the disputed South China Sea, while insisting it has no intention of militarizing the strategically vital area even though it has increased construction activities there. Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin reiterated China's position that its construction of artificial islands in the sea was designed to "provide public service" to the region by helping ships and fishermen and disaster relief efforts. This also includes military facilities to protect the islands and reefs, which are located far from mainland China, he said.

Bloomberg writes, the violence swirling out from Syria in recent weeks is pressuring China to step off the sidelines and take a more active role in international efforts to stem the conflict.The execution of a Chinese captive announced by Islamic State on Wednesday -- the first such killing -- showed the country isn't beyond the reach of a group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in Beirut, Paris and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Moreover, Russia's decision to launch airstrikes to support the Syrian government has left China increasingly alone in opposing military intervention in a civil war that has fueled Islamic State's rise."It appears that events are dragging China further into the Syrian crisis," said Michael Clarke, an associate professor at the Australian National University's National Security College. "On one level, Russian intervention and the Paris attacks have raised the stakes and made Beijing's preferred option of a political resolution much less likely. The killing of a Chinese national will certainly inject a new variable into Beijing's calculations about its position on the conflict."