BEIJING, May 29 -- "We urge the relevant countries to stop ganging up and stirring up troubles in the South China Sea, and stop harming regional peace and stability," said a Chinese defense spokesperson at a press conference on Thursday.
It is reported that the coast guard and armed forces of the Philippines conducted a joint patrol with the US Coast Guard in waters off Palawan, and the Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to maritime security and the rules-based international order.
When asked to comment on the joint patrol conducted by the Philippines and the US, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, pointed out that the current situation in the South China Sea remains generally stable and there is no problem with the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to all countries in accordance with the international law.
He stressed that some countries provoke confrontation in the name of cooperation, flex muscles under the guise of freedom, and create chaos on the pretext of order. They have become the biggest source of risks that undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea.