China reaffirms sovereignty over Xianbin Jiao, denounces Philippines' false accusations

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday condemned the Philippines' "thief crying stop thief" behavior after Manila organized vessels to illegally intrude into the lagoon of China's Xianbin Jiao in the South China Sea.

Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to Philippines' false accusations about Chinese maritime law enforcement actions against Philippine personnel near Xianbin Jiao.

Jiang said that the Philippines deliberately organized and dispatched a large number of vessels to intrude into the lagoon of Xianbin Jiao illegally. Personnel on the Philippine vessels even brandished knives to threaten Chinese coast guard officers conducting lawful operations, an act that was "utterly egregious in nature".

"The measures taken by the Chinese side were necessary actions to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," the spokesperson emphasized. "They were reasonable, lawful, professional, and restrained." ■