BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Navy and China Coast Guard (CCG) will defend national sovereignty and guarantee peace in the South China Sea, said a defense spokesperson on Thursday.

"We will continue to fulfill our duty of safeguarding China's maritime territory and make concrete efforts to uphold a maritime community with a shared future," Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference in response to a relevant query.

The Chinese Navy and CCG rescued 17 Filipino crew members from a ship accident near China's Huangyan Dao on Jan. 22 and handed them over to the Philippine side on Jan. 25, Jiang said.

However, certain Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson blatantly used this humanitarian act as a tool for malicious propaganda, which is utterly mean and shameful, he said.

"We will contribute more to building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation," he said.