Q: The US State Department issued a statement criticizing China for obstructing Philippine vessels that sought to deliver new troops and supplies to a "grounded" warship at Ren’ai Jiao and firing water cannons. The statement says such actions are “inconsistent with international law” and “threatening regional peace and stability” and calls upon China to abide by the South China Sea arbitration award issued in 2016. The statement indicates US support for “the Philippines’ lawful maritime operations” and says an armed attack on the Philippines’ Coast Guard would “invoke US mutual defense commitments under the US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty”. Do you have any comment?

A: Ren’ai Jiao has always been part of China’s Nansha Qundao. The historical context of the issue of Ren’ai Jiao is very clear. In 1999, the Philippines sent a warship that illegally "landed" on Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to change the status quo of Ren’ai Jiao illegally. China immediately made serious démarches to the Philippines, demanding the removal of the vessel. The Philippines promised several times to tow it away, but has yet to act. Not only that, the Philippines sought to repair and reinforce the warship in order to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao. On August 5, in disregard of China’s repeated dissuasion and warning, the Philippines sent two vessels that intruded into the adjacent waters of Ren’ai Jiao and tried to deliver the construction materials for repairing and reinforcing the "grounded" warship. Such actions violated China’s sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels stopped them in accordance with law and warned them off through appropriate law enforcement measures. Their maneuvers were professional, restrained and beyond reproach. 

The State Department’s statement, in disregard of the facts, attacked China’s legitimate and lawful actions at sea aimed at safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law. The statement also voiced support for the Philippines’ unlawful, provocative behavior. China firmly opposes the statement. For some time, the US has been inciting and supporting the Philippines attempts to repair and reinforce its warship that was deliberately "grounded" on Ren’ai Jiao. The US even sent over military aircraft and vessels to assist and support the Philippines, and repeatedly sought to threaten China by citing the US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. The US has been brazenly bolstering the Philippines as it infringes upon China’s sovereignty, but those moves will not succeed. 

The South China Sea arbitration was a pure political drama staged in the name of the law with the US pulling strings behind the scenes. The so-called award contravenes international laws, including UNCLOS, and is illegal, null and void. The US’s attempt to make an issue of the illegal award will not affect China’s firm resolve to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in accordance with the law. We urge the US to stop utilizing the South China Sea issue to sow confusion and discord, and we urge it to respect China’s territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and respect regional countries’ efforts to uphold peace and stability in this region.