In a forceful regular press briefing on February 28, China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Xiaokang rebuked multinational military activities in the South China Sea. The sharp response came after reports of joint patrols by the Philippines, US, Japan, and Australia around Huangyan Island’s airspace and waters.
The US-Philippines strategic dialogue further fueled the fire, claiming China’s presence endangers regional peace, stability, and economies in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Jiang countered that external powers like the US are the real instigators, deploying forces to manufacture tension and disorder.
‘Philippines has time and again infringed on China’s rights and provoked incidents, damaging common interests of countries in the region,’ Jiang declared, branding Manila as a blatant disturber of peace. He reaffirmed China’s ‘undisputable sovereignty’ over relevant islands and jurisdictions in surrounding waters.
On separate US claims of Chinese nuclear tests, Jiang labeled them ‘utterly groundless.’ He detailed China’s longstanding policies: no-first-use of nukes, self-defensive strategy, minimum deterrence, no arms race participation, and faithful adherence to nuclear test suspension pledges. No activities have breached the nuclear test ban treaty.
As geopolitical rivalries heat up, China’s message is clear: it will not tolerate schemes to destabilize its core interests. The South China Sea remains a flashpoint, where freedom of navigation clashes with territorial assertions, impacting billions in trade.