WASHINGTON – The US State Department says the country is aware of reports that Vietnam has deployed missile systems on several of its outposts on the Spratly islands in the disputed South China Sea.

On Wednesday, State Department Spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau called all claimants to not militarize their holdings over the sea.

“We continue to call on all South China Sea claimants to avoid actions that build tensions, take practical steps to build confidence and intensify efforts that find peaceful, diplomatic solutions to dispute,” she said at a news briefing.

– TiVi Tuan-san