China has claimed it was falsely accused by the Philippines and the United States of conducting illegal activities in the South China Sea when these two countries called out Beijing for its reclamation and militarization activities there. Wang Wenbin, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, saw nothing wrong with China's activities as it maintained its ownership of the South China Sea. For him, Beijing "has indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea islands and its adjacent waters. In a press conference on Thursday night, Wang said the recent 15-page joint statement of the Philippines and the US "misrepresents and discredits the legitimate and lawful maritime law enforcement activities of the Chinese side and even makes false accusations against China." He was referring to the statement released by the two countries following the high-level talks between Filipino and American officials in Washington, D.C., which covered several areas of Philippine-US partnership. "We strongly oppose this," Wang said. Part of the statement was about [the military alliance between Manila and Washington](https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/12/ph-us-joint-efforts-in-defending-territories-vs-china-s-incursion-assured), which both sides saw the need to fortify amid China's allegedly aggressive and intrusive activities in the South China Sea. In the statement, the defense and foreign ministry heads of both countries "underlined their strong objections to [China's] unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea." "Let me point out first and foremost that China is gravely concerned over and strongly disapproves [of the] joint statement of the US and the Philippines," Wang said. The officials also urged Beijing to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 Arbitral Ruling and the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. But for Wang, the arbitral award "gravely violates" international laws, including UNCLOS. He also said it is "illegal, null and void." China had refused to participate during the conduct of the arbitration. The award affirmed the Philippines' claims over what it declafred as part of its expanded econimic zone  in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the bigger South China Sea that China completely claims. "China's position of not accepting or recognizing it is clear and firm," he said, reaffirming its claim over the South China Sea based on its unilateral nine-dash line. Nevertheless, Wang said China is ready to work with relevant countries to handle maritime disputes "in a proper manner through negotiation and consultation, while resolutely protecting our territory, sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

New EDCA sites

With the identification of new Philippines sites that American troops will have access to, China said that judging from their locations, "the intention behind those sites is more than obvious." "We have stated [China's position](https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/23/china-warns-ph-other-countries-vs-being-used-by-us-for-self-interest) several times. Facts speak louder than words," Wang said, referring to China's repeated pronouncements that the US is only [advancing its own interest](https://old.mb.com.ph/2023/03/10/china-says-us-ph-military-alliance-endangers-regional-peace-stability/) and creating tension in the region. "The US and the Philippines have just added a footnote to their intention by stressing in the joint statement that they will 'support swift operationalization of the four new sites.' It seems there is no need for China to provide any additional analysis or interpretation of that," he said. Then, he warned: "Indeed, there is nothing to be surprised about when it comes to China's response." Wang said Beijing always believes that the Asia-Pacific is the common home of countries in the region. The latter must "take our security firmly in our own hands." "We would like to once again remind the relevant country in the region that pandering to forces outside the region will not bring greater security, but will cause tensions, put regional peace and stability at risk and eventually backfire," he added.