Foreign Ministry: Ren'ai Reef has always been a part of warships in China's the Nansha Islands | China | Ren'ai Reef
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answers questions from reporters regarding the statement issued by the US State Department on the issue of Ren'ai Reef
The US supports the Philippines' legitimate maritime activities and claims that an armed attack on the Philippine Coast Guard will trigger the US Philippines Joint Defense Treaty. May I ask if the Chinese side has any comments on this?
A: Ren'ai Reef has always been part of China's the Nansha Islands. The historical context of the Ren'ai Reef issue is very clear. In 1999, the Philippines sent a warship to illegally "dock" at Ren'ai Reef in an attempt to change the "status quo" of Ren'ai Reef. China immediately made solemn representations and demanded that the Philippines tow the warship. The Philippine side has repeatedly promised to tow the warship, but has not fulfilled its promise until today. Not only that, the Philippine side also attempted to carry out large-scale maintenance and reinforcement of the warship, achieving permanent occupation of Ren'ai Reef. On August 5th, despite repeated dissuasions and warnings from China, the Philippines dispatched two ships to illegally enter the waters of Ren'ai Reef, attempting to transport construction materials for large-scale maintenance and reinforcement to the illegal "sitting on the beach" warship. The actions of the Philippines have infringed upon China's sovereignty and violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard ships were lawfully intercepted and warning enforcement measures were taken. The on-site operations were professional, restrained, and beyond reproach.
The US State Department disregarded the facts and issued a statement attacking China's legitimate maritime rights enforcement actions, endorsing the illegal provocations of the Philippines. China firmly opposes this. For a period of time, the United States has encouraged and supported the Philippines to repair and reinforce its military vessels on Ren'ai Reef, even sending military aircraft and ships to cooperate and support the Philippines at sea, and frequently threatening China by fulfilling the US Philippines Joint Defense Treaty. This move by the US is blatantly supporting and encouraging the Philippines to infringe on China's sovereignty, and its plan is destined to be unsuccessful.
The South China Sea arbitration case is a political farce manipulated by the United States behind the scenes under the guise of law. Its so-called ruling violates international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and is illegal and invalid. The US's use of this illegal ruling to argue cannot in any way affect China's firm determination and will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with the law. We urge the United States to stop using the South China Sea issue to sow discord and sow discord, and to truly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, as well as the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.