China rebukes countries ‘stirring up trouble’ in South China Sea
Countries banding together to provoke trouble in the South China Sea are only fueling tensions and hurting regional stability, a Chinese spokesperson said, adding that the Asia-Pacific is not a “chessboard for geopolitical games.”
“Relevant parties should respect the efforts of regional countries to properly handle maritime issues through dialogue and consultation, and to maintain regional peace and stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said when asked whether Beijing is concerned with the Philippines, Australia, Japan, and the United States' involvement in the South China Sea.
Ning condemned the “false narratives and unwarranted attacks” being hurled at China.
She described the South China Sea arbitration case — a landmark 2016 decision that declared waters being claimed by China belong to the Philippines — as a mere “political farce” that had no real binding force.
“The so-called ‘South China Sea Arbitration Case’ is a political farce disguised as a legal case, with the aim of stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and profiting from it,” Ning said.
“The so-called 'ruling' is illegal, invalid, and has no binding force; China has neither accepted nor recognised it from the outset.”
China has been aggressively asserting its authority over the South China Sea, with its coast guard repeatedly running after Philippine ships, engaging the water cannon, and ramming into foreign boats.
Despite heating tensions in the region, China said East China Sea and the South China Sea are “generally stable.”
“The Asia-Pacific region is a high ground for cooperation and development, not a chessboard for geopolitical games,” Ning said. “Engaging in bloc politics and camp confrontation will not bring peace and security, and is detrimental to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world."
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
