Question: According to media reports, the Philippine defense secretary recently visited Zhongye Dao to take part in the activities commemorating the 10th anniversary of the “South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award”. May I have your comment on this?
Jiang Bin: China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters, including Zhongye Dao. The Philippine defense secretary, who is sanctioned by the Chinese side, is playing tough toward China by staging political shows and fanning nationalist sentiments to seek selfish political gains, which will ultimately undermine the fundamental interests of the Philippines and its people. The “arbitration” is, from beginning to end, a political farce masqueraded as a legal process, and the so-called award carries no legal force in any sense. The Chinese side does not accept nor recognize the award. We do not accept any claims or actions based on it. No matter how certain individuals in the Philippines perform, they can never distort the historical and legal fact that relevant islands and reefs belong to China, and can never shake the firm determination of the Chinese military to defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
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