It’s a “gentle reminder” coming from China that Beijing will not bully small countries as it warned these nations not to make trouble willfully and endlessly.
“Here is a gentle reminder to the Philippines: China will not bully small countries, meanwhile, small countries shall not make trouble willfully and endlessly. We hope that the Philippine side would stop instigation and provocation and come back to the right track of resolving issues through negotiation and consultation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Tuesday.
After the ground breaking ceremony for a lighthouse in a reclaimed area in the disputed Spratly Islands, the ministry added that China would continue to build other facilities on relevant maritime features.
Hua, informed of the meeting between Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in Hawaii, said China’s relevant position has been made clear on multiple occasions.
“The Philippine President reportedly said that Philippine military aircraft will keep flying over disputed areas in the South China Sea, and that China should not bully small countries. The Philippine Air Force spokesman said its planes will fly over the South China Sea along the route taken by the US Navy plane,” Hua said.
“I can feel the restlessness and rashness of some people from the Philippines on issues of the South China Sea,” she said.
China purportedly called on the US to do more things that are appeasing and less inflammatory.
H/T: ABS-CBN News; Photo lifted from Google.
