Recently, there has been a dispute between China and the Philippines about the South China SeaSecond Thomas ReefThe Philippines sent 2 shipsCoast GuardBoats, 1 official ship and 1 supply ship broke into the area and tried to attackSecond Thomas ReefMake a permanent occupation. In the face of this provocation, ChinaCoast GuardCorresponding control measures have been taken to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, the Philippines is pointing the finger at China and trying to play inInternationalon propaganda and distortion of facts. Even more surprising is the fact that in less than 48 hours, 29 countries have publicly backed the Philippines, which is clearly aimed at China.
First, the United States was the first country to stand up for the Philippines. In China and the PhilippinesSecond Thomas ReefImmediately after the conflict, the United States made unreasonable accusations against China, claiming that China had undermined regional stability and demanded that China stop its so-called "dangerous behavior". This is not new, whenever there is friction between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea issue, the United States will be the first to blame China. Previously, the United States also came up with the so-called "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" to threaten China. In the face of this accusation, a spokesperson for China made it clear that the South China Sea issue is an issue between China and the Philippines, and no third party has the right to intervene.
Second, Britain has joined the camp of supporting the Philippines. A spokesperson for the UK's Department for Foreign Affairs and Development made unwarranted accusations against China, claiming that China had taken unsafe actions in the South China Sea and stressed that China and the Philippines should complyUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Seaand 2016South China Sea ArbitrationVerdict. However, China has already made it rightSouth China Sea Arbitrationi.e., not to participate, not to accept, not to recognize. In this regard, the Chinese Embassy in the UKEmbassyThe spokesman said that the UK's irresponsible remarks about China's legitimate rights protection actions are a blatant connivance with the Philippines to infringe on China's sovereignty, and its remarks are unacceptable.
Finally,European UnionThe 27 countries also expressed concern about China's actions. European UnionA spokesman for the External Action Service expressed concern about China's actions against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. This is extremely inconsistent with the stance of the positive development of Sino-EU relations at the recent Sino-EU summit. Chinese EmbassyEuropean UnionA spokesman for the mission saidEuropean UnionIgnoring the facts, China endorses the illegal provocation of the Philippines, which China firmly opposes.
To be clear, the United States, the United Kingdom, andEuropean UnionThe 27 countries have nothing to do with the South China Sea issue and have no right to criticize the matter. The South China Sea dispute is an issue between China and the Philippines, which can only be resolved by China and the Philippines on their own, without any interference by foreign forces.
In this series of actions, China has sent three sentences to these countries, clearly expressing its position. The first sentence points out the essence of the problem and emphasizes that no third party has the right to intervene in the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines. The second sentence is a response to the countries represented by the United Kingdom, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for Britain to condone the Philippines' violation of China's sovereignty. The third sentence is trueEuropean UnionThe response of the 27 countries made it clear that China firmly opposes itEuropean Unionendorse the actions of the Philippines.
To sum up, China and the PhilippinesSecond Thomas ReefLess than 48 hours after the confrontation, 29 countries publicly supported the Philippines. Among them, the United States, the United Kingdom, andEuropean Union27 countries sided with the Philippines and made unreasonable accusations against China. However, these countries have nothing to do with the South China Sea issue and have no right to interfere. China firmly opposes this and has made a clear statement to these countries. The South China Sea issue can only be resolved by China and the Philippines on their own. InInternationalIn the transaction, the parties shall abide byInternationalLaw andInternationaluniversally recognized principles, resolve disputes by peaceful means, and jointly maintain regional and world peace and stability.