Download
The military dismissed conjecture that Beijing is preparing for war to defend national territory in the South China Sea, saying the PLA opposes any armed intervention in the region.
Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng was speaking on Tuesday at a news conference on the eve of the 85th anniversary of the PLA.
All nine members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in a rare appearance on Tuesday, attended a reception to mark the anniversary.
Geng's comments further clarified that Beijing wanted to solve territorial disputes through negotiation even though it has the capability to resort to armed force, experts said.
"China has indisputable sovereign rights over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, and the military opposes any outside military intervention in this area," Geng said when asked about the possibility of conflict.
China's territorial disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea escalated sharply earlier this year after a Philippine warship harassed fishing boats in waters near China's Huangyan Island. The Philippines disputes China's sovereignty.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino announced on July 23 plans for a 75 billion peso ($1.8 billion) fund to upgrade the military and asked his nation to "speak with one voice" on the issue of Huangyan Island.
One day later, China officially established the city of Sansha on Yongxing Island in Hainan province, and also established a military garrison.
【Military dismisses islands war fear】相关文章:
★ Mexican troops find 15 tons of meth
★ Foreign minister summons Japan's envoy
★ Countries sign pact to address water issues
★ Curiosity of a girl lands on Mars
★ Astronaut heroes are homeward bound
★ Ministry defends progress on human rights
★ Tight security on an Olympic scale
最新
2020-08-21
2020-08-20
2020-08-19
2020-08-06
2020-08-05
2020-08-05