China rejects joint exercises of the Philippines and the United States in the region

Beijing, April 21 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today denounced the Philippines' actions in the South China Sea in collaboration with the United States and rejected provocations related to territorial sovereignty and the Taiwan issue.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun noted that the international community faces challenges such as unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonic practices.

In this context, countries in the region seek to strengthen unity and cooperation to protect stability and face common challenges together, he added.

However, he criticized that the Philippines, together with nations outside the region, conduct military exercises and deploy strategic and tactical weapons.

According to the spokesperson, this behavior threatens regional stability and undermines economic growth of the area.

In this situation, the Philippines' actions have generated strong rejection and opposition from countries in the region, Guo stated.

The spokesperson emphasized that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter of the Asian giant and represents one of its fundamental interests.

China firmly opposes any attempt by other countries to use the Taiwan issue as a pretext to intensify their military presence in the region, fuel tensions, and jeopardize peace and stability, he stated.

For his part, the spokesman for the Navy of the Southern Theater of Operations, Zhao Zhiwei, reported that on April 20, a Philippine patrol illegally entered the South China Sea without the authorization of the Chinese government, for which Beijing proceeded to expel the ship.

Zhao stressed that Manila's actions seriously violated sovereignty and the norms of international law and Chinese laws, while warning about possible consequences of repeating these incursions.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently announced that Washington will deploy advanced military weapons in the Philippines, including NMESIS anti-ship missiles, with the aim of strengthening deterrence against China.

This occurs this month within the framework of the Balikatan military exercises, in which Manila and Washington also cooperate with Australia and Japan.

In fact, this year's edition includes specific simulations of a possible scenario of confrontations in the Taiwan Strait. (Text and photo: PL)