Political stunts by some Filipinos cannot change facts of SCS, China says

Political shows staged by certain individuals in the Philippines cannot distort the historical and legal fact that relevant islands and reefs in the South China Sea belong to China, a Chinese defense spokesman said on Friday.

Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to reports that the Philippine defense secretary had recently visited Zhongye Dao to attend activities marking the 10th anniversary of the so-called South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award.

China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters, including Zhongye Dao, or Zhongye Island, Jiang said.

The Philippine defense secretary, who has been sanctioned by China, is attempting to appear tough toward China by staging political shows and fanning nationalist sentiment in pursuit of personal political interests, which will ultimately undermine the fundamental interests of the Philippines and its people, he added.

He said the South China Sea "arbitration" case is, from beginning to end, a political farce masquerading as a legal process, and that the so-called award has no legal force whatsoever.

China neither accepts nor recognizes the award and does not accept any claims or actions based on it, he said.

"No matter how certain individuals in the Philippines perform, they can never distort the historical and legal fact that the relevant islands and reefs belong to China," Jiang said.

Nor can such actions shake the firm determination of the Chinese military to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he added.