Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Jiang Bin answered a reporter's question regarding the Philippine Department of National Defense's hype surrounding the water cannon incident at Xianbin Reef.
Reporter: On December 16, the Philippine Minister of National Defense issued a statement on social media, falsely accusing Chinese maritime control forces of taking "dangerous and inhumane" actions against Filipino fishermen in the waters near Xianbin Reef, and denying that Filipino fishermen threatened Chinese coast guard with knives. What is China's comment on this?
Jiang Bin: China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Xianbin Reef, and their adjacent waters, which has ample historical and legal basis. The Philippines organized and premeditatedly gathered a large number of vessels to illegally intrude into the Xianbin Reef lagoon, and Philippine personnel even threatened Chinese coast guard officers on site with knives. Their arrogance and egregious nature are appalling. China's necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights are reasonable, legal, professional, and restrained. Faced with the truth, some people in the Philippines are blatantly lying, sophistry, and denying their own infringement and provocative actions, and even turning around to accuse China. This is a complete distortion of the truth and a case of the pot calling the kettle black. For some time now, the Philippines has frequently provoked incidents at sea, repeatedly staging its own farces, deliberately smearing and accusing China, stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and undermining regional stability. We solemnly warn the Philippines that its attempts to elicit sympathy and incitement cannot change the nature of its illegal infringements, mislead the international community's perception, or shake China's determination to safeguard its rights in accordance with the law. China will continue to take strong and effective measures to resolutely respond to all acts of infringement and provocation.
