Ministry of National Defense: The Philippines' Provocation and Victimhood Cannot Change the Nature of Its Infringement

On the afternoon of September 24, the Ministry of Defense held a regular press conference, where Colonel Jiang Bin, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, answered reporters' questions.

Reporter: Recently, the China Coast Guard's San Zhou Ao vessel conducted law enforcement actions to safeguard rights in the waters near the Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands. The Philippine vessel 3015 ignored multiple serious warnings from the Chinese side, deliberately adjusted its course, and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow of our Coast Guard vessel, resulting in a collision. What is your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: The China Coast Guard has already provided information on the situation; the facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive, leaving no room for the Philippine side to quibble or hype up the issue. The Philippine government vessel provoked trouble in the waters near the Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands, adopting a dangerous method similar to "changing lanes to block" and deliberately ramming into the Chinese Coast Guard ship, which seriously threatened the safety of Chinese personnel and vessels, and severely violated international law and the basic principles of international relations. The Philippine side repeatedly engages in victimhood and spreads false narratives, which cannot change the nature of their infringement and provocation. The Chinese side will continue to take effective measures to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.