China urges Philippines to stop political manipulation at sea

China on Tuesday urged the Philippines to stop unscrupulous political manipulation and self-directed farces at sea.

Jiang Bin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, reaffirmed China's positions on Huangyan Dao in response to the Philippine Coast Guard's deployment of vessels and aircraft near the Chinese island.

"Huangyan Dao is part of China's territory and has never been within the territory of the Philippines. Certain Philippine departments tricked and instigated innocent fishermen into committing provocative acts, used them as a tool to infringe upon China's legitimate rights, and even deliberately create friction to scapegoat and smear China. Such behaviors have fully demonstrated their disregard for the fishermen's livelihoods, well-being, or even their safety. We urge the Philippine side to stop its unscrupulous political manipulation and self-directed farce at sea. China will continue to exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters in accordance with law, and resolutely defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," he stressed.

China urges Philippines to stop political manipulation at sea

China urged Japan to retract the the erroneous remarks made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi if the country hopes to enhance ties with China, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Lin made the remarks in response to a media query after Takaichi said on Monday that she was open to dialogue with China.

"China has repeatedly made clear its solemn position on the relevant issue. Genuine dialogue must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and adherence to consensus. Talking about dialogue while practicing confrontation is not the dialogue that anyone would accept," he said.

"If the Japanese side truly expects to develop a strategic and mutually beneficial relation with China, the path is simple and clear: It should retract Takaichi's erroneous remarks related to Taiwan, abide by the four political documents between China and Japan as well as the political commitments made by Japan, and demonstrate its sincerity toward dialogue through concrete actions," said the spokesman.

Japan should withdraw erroneous remarks to develop ties with China: spokesman