BEIJING: China has urged the Philippines to stop the infringement activities and provocations at its Huangyan Dao area in the South China Sea.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian in a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday said such wanton acts must stop.
“China will continue to act resolutely in accordance with the law to firmly safeguard our nation’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” he said.
The diplomat said Huangyan Dao has always been China’s territory and Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent airspace and waters.
He said that on August 7 and 8, Philippine military aircraft intruded into the airspace of Huangyan Dao twice, which infringed upon the sovereignty of China and violated international law and norms governing international ties.
Replying to another question the spokesperson said during World War II, in blatant violation of international law, the Japanese army started horrendous bacterial warfare against the people of China people and conducted horrific human experimentation, which were heinous crimes against humanity.
“We commend the courage of Hideo Shimizu who revealed the historical truth and faced it squarely,” he noted. He added Japan needs to pay attention to the call for justice from both home and abroad, face up to and reflect on its history of aggression, and respect the feelings of the people from the Asian countries, including China.
To another question, he said China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. “General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to To Lam recently on his election as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee,” said the diplomat.
Lin Jian said China stands ready to work with Vietnam, under the guidance of the strategic common understandings between the top leaders of the two parties and the two nations.
Replying to yet another question of whether authorities in Beijing have conducted and concluded an investigation into the gas pipeline incident in the Baltic Sea last October, he said China stands for closer global cooperation to jointly protect the security and safety of undersea infrastructure.
“We remain in close communication with relevant countries and hope that relevant parties will continue to carry out the investigation in a professional, objective and cooperative way, and work together to ensure proper handling of the incident,” he said.
