BEIJING -- China on Friday asked other countries not to "create dissension" among countries and "create tension" in the South China Sea area.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing that "countries outside this region should respect efforts made by countries in the region to maintain peace and stability."

Her comment came after a senior US Navy officer expressed welcome to an extension of Japanese air patrols into the South China Sea as a counterweight to Chinese vessels.

The situation in the South China Sea is stable. China and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have kept a good-neighborly relationship, Hua said.

"We have the will and ability to jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region," she said.