BEIJING: Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) Spokesman Colonel Wu Qian said at a monthly news briefing on Friday that joint military exercises, training and competition between the armed forces of Pakistan and China “enhance mutual trust”.
“These joint exercises, training and competition help the militaries of participating countries to enhance understanding, deepen mutual trust, improve the ability to deal with multiple security threats and jointly maintain regional peace and stability,” he added
To a question about the South China Sea, he said that “the islands in the South China Sea have been the Chinese territory ever since the ancient times”.
“It is also a fact that freedom of navigation in the region has never been a problem. For a period of time, the US side has been hyping up the South China Sea issue, attempting to blame China for harming freedom of navigation in the region,” he added.
“When US military aircraft flew over these islands with provocation, it is also reasonable and legitimate for China to warn these aircraft according to relevant rules and regulations,” he argued.
At the same time, China claims that the US side has been ignoring the positive efforts China has made to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
He reminded the US side not to purposefully turn a blind eye to China’s efforts. China will, as always, make positive efforts to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.