The Chinese Ministry of Defense said that no matter how frequent United Stated conduct freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in West Philippine Sea, China will not change its stand to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and security.
Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian noted in a press conference Thursday that China’s position can be summarized in three ‘NOTs’.
“First, no matter how many and how frequently the U.S. ships come to the South China Sea, that would NOT change the fact that the Nansha (Spratly) Islands and its adjacent waters belong to China; second, it would NOT stop the pace for China’s development and growth,” Wu told reporters.
“Third, it would NOT shake the resolution and will of the Chinese PLA to firmly safeguard the sovereignty and security of China,” he added.
The statement from the Chinese spokesperson came after US said it will conduct another freedom of navigation operations in West Philippine Sea but declined to discuss when and where exactly. The Chinese statement also came after a US Cogressman urged the US government to conduct FONOPS once a week.
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