The exercises, which the ministry called “routine”, were not directed at any third party, spokesman Yang Yujun said.
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Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay on Wednesday denied that China “won” when the Philippines reportedly dropped a request to mention, in an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) statement, the historic arbitral tribunal ruling on the disputed South China Sea.
In the wake of the tribunal ruling, China held live-firing exercises and said it would launch regular air patrols over the South China Sea while continuing with the construction of man-made islands equipped with harbors, airstrips and other infrastructure with military uses.
The nine-dash line is a maritime boundary on the South China Sea drawn up by China, which claims to own the territory inside the line.
The missions were widely seen as an attempt to push back against China’s increasing assertiveness, although the Pentagon said they were also a warning to Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. Earlier this month, China lost a case against the Philippines at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. “The video features several experts and officials worldwide who defend China’s position on the South China Sea disputes”.
“The Joint Communique shows Asean is committed to maintaining regional peace, security and stability by respecting global law”, Retno said.
China vowed after the ruling to take “all necessary measures” to protect its claim in the area, which encompasses major shipping routes for goods traveling to and from East Asia, rich fisheries and petroleum under the sea floor. Both have a storied history of harassing USA ships on the high seas, and deeper naval cooperation is likely to increase tensions in the disputed waters.
The country’s flagship carrier said in a statement that their website had been redirected to a “malicious website overseas”. The court found that China’s claims were unfounded and that it must cease its illegal military and fishing activities in the region.
The United States, too, has moved to step up its military cooperation with allies in the region. The two countries have been holding naval drills in the Pacific waters since 2012.
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China, on its part has trashed the ruling as “null and void”, by pointing out that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which was the reference point in the tribunal’s ruling, neither covers historical claims, nor territorial issues.
