BEIJING, Oct. 16 -- "The Chinese side will take resolute and effective measures to deter any sabotaging moves in the South China Sea, and uphold regional peace and stability," said Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a press conference on October 16, 2026.

According to media reports, the Philippine side recently made provocations near Huangyan Dao and Ren'ai Jiao multiple times and said that it would not allow the Chinese side to dictate terms on Philippine "territory". The Philippine military claimed that they observed over a hundred Chinese warships and China Coast Guard vessels maintaining regular presence in waters near Zhongye Dao and Xianbin Jiao, and that the Chinese side intended to shake the Philippines' resolve in safeguarding its rights and interests.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and Nansha Qundao, including Zhongye Dao, Xianbin Jiao and Ren'ai Jiao, and their adjacent waters, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson pointed out: "These islands and reefs lie outside the scope of Philippine territories. Therefore the Philippine side is not qualified to claim 'safeguarding its own rights and interests'."

"The Chinese side takes necessary measures in accordance with laws and regulations to uphold its sovereign rights. They are legitimate, reasonable, professional and standardized," the spokesperson added.

"For some time, the Philippine side has been rallying external forces to stir up troubles in the South China Sea at the expense of the common interests of regional countries. It continues to make provocations violating others' sovereignty and distort facts to spread false narratives, which makes itself a destroyer of peace and a destabilizing factor in the South China Sea," the spokesperson noted.