China firmly opposes certain countries’ unwarranted accusations over Ren'ai Jiao incident

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated on Tuesday that certain countries, ignoring the basic facts of the Philippines' infringements and provocations, have made unwarranted accusations against China and repeatedly hyped up the illegal, null and void so-called "South China Sea Arbitration Award", and China firmly rejects these moves.

Lin made the statement at a regular press briefing when asked about the Philippines' deliberate provocation and attack on Chinese maritime law enforcement personnel at Ren'ai Jiao.

"China has already stated its solemn position on the malicious attacks by Philippine personnel against Chinese law enforcement officers. Some countries disregard the truth about Philippine infringements and provocations at Ren'ai Jiao, launch groundless attacks on China, and keep rehashing the illegal and invalid 'South China Sea Arbitration Award'. China firmly opposes such practices," he said.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the overall situation in the South China Sea remains stable. The Philippines' deliberate infringements and provocations are the root cause of the current maritime tensions. Countries that are not parties to the South China Sea disputes have no right to interfere in maritime issues between relevant claimant states. It is obvious to all that whenever there is any maritime disturbance, a small handful of countries rush to oppose China without distinguishing right from wrong. Their real intention -- whether to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea or to stir up trouble -- is self-evident," Lin pointed out.

"China urges relevant countries to stop stoking tensions and fanning confrontation, and earnestly respect the efforts made by regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. China will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, rights and interests in accordance with the law, properly manage maritime differences through dialogue and consultation with relevant parties, and work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), advance consultations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region," the spokesperson said.

China firmly opposes certain countries’ unwarranted accusations over Ren'ai Jiao incident

China firmly opposes certain countries’ unwarranted accusations over Ren'ai Jiao incident

Air defenses were activated around Tehran early on Wednesday as U.S. launched its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

Reporting from the Iranian capital, a China Media Group (CMG) crew captured footage of Tehran's air defense systems being continuously activated in the wee hours of Wednesday.

According to Iran's Nour News, the air defenses were in response to hostile targets entering the capital's airspace.

Multiple Iranian provinces came under U.S. attacks early Wednesday, including Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Ilam and East Azerbaijan. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X Tuesday that the strikes were "designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

In a statement released early Wednesday, the Iranian Army said it launched a large number of suicide drones against ammunition depots and logistics facilities of the command center of the U.S. army's ground forces at Camp Doha in western Kuwait, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

According to an earlier statement carried by Tasnim, the Iranian Army said its suicide drones struck accommodation and welfare buildings and an equipment warehouse used by the U.S. military at the al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, and subsequently targeted large equipment warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at the Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned early Wednesday that if the United States attacks Iran's nuclear and other sensitive sites, Tehran will consider it as an expansion of the war in the region and launch a "powerful attack" against the interests of the United States, its allies and supporters, Iranian state media reported.

The warning was in response to a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday the United States would strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility "pretty soon", referring to a fortified underground facility in the Isfahan Province that Tehran declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2020 as the future site of an advanced centrifuge assembly plant.

Tehran activates air defenses as US continues strikes