BEIJING: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday that countries who are not a party to the South China Sea issue have no right to meddle in the relevant issues.
Lin Jian made the comment in response to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s recent remarks concerning the South China Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
The spokesperson, speaking at a regular press briefing, said China has made its position quite clear on the malicious attack by Philippine personnel against Chinese law enforcement personnel.
Lin Jian said that some countries ignore the objective facts of the Philippines’ infringements and provocations, level unfounded accusations against China and repeatedly hype the illegal and invalid “South China Sea Arbitration,” to which China is firmly opposed.
With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable, Lin said.
The spokesperson added that the deliberate infringement and provocation by the Philippine side are the root cause of maritime tensions.
On Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Wong said Australia was concerned about “aggression” and “destabilising conduct” and that countries had a “choice to make” about how to respond.
The comments came after China and the Philippines blamed one another for a physical confrontation between the China Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea on Monday.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Australia was not party to the South China Sea issue and had no right to intervene in related maritime matters.
