Ministry of Defense: The Philippines cannot allow a small group of people to act recklessly and provoke incidents in the South China Sea.

On the afternoon of October 29, the Ministry of Defense held a regular press conference, where Major General Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, answered reporters' questions.

Reporter: According to reports, the President of the Philippines recently expressed great concern that the wrongful actions of individual fishermen or soldiers could lead to an uncontrollable situation. He hopes to complete the consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" together with China and ASEAN to ease the situation and avoid unexpected incidents. What is your comment on this?

Zhang Xiaogang: Improving and developing China-Philippines relations is in the common interest of both sides. The Philippine side should avoid allowing maritime disputes to dominate the direction of bilateral relations and must not let a small group of people act recklessly, provoking incidents in the South China Sea and pushing bilateral relations into a dangerous situation. China’s determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is unwavering, and it is always committed to accelerating the consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" with ASEAN countries and working together with regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.