Ongoing land reclamation in the South China sea has been halted, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The Chinese have been fortifying reefs and constructing military bases in the ocean over the past few months, provoking reactions from other countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia who believe the territory belongs to them.

Beijing confirmed yesterday that land reclamation had “alrady stopped” and that ASEAN and China wished to resolve the issue through dialogue. China requesting that the US allow the countries to sort the issue amongst themselves.

According to the United States, China has reclaimed more than 1,200 hectares of territory over the past 18 months. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan together claimed only 100 acres in the last 45 years.

Whilst China are saying the motive is democratic, economic problems suggest that they are freeing up time to divert their issues to more pressing problems at home.

China have just announced a devaluation of the national currency, which is the last in a series of attempts over the last few months to prop up the volatile economy.