China on Wednesday warned the Philippines not to abuse China's goodwill regarding the South China Sea.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, commented at a press briefing on the move taken by the Philippines to send five commercial fishing boats with 200 people on board to the waters off Huangyan Dao on the same day to proclaim their rights over the adjacent waters.
"Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters. In 2016, China made arrangements out of goodwill for a small number of small Philippine fishing boats to carry out normal fishing activities in the waters near Huangyan Dao, and at the same time China exercised management and supervision over the related activities of the Philippine fishermen in accordance with the law. If the Philippine side abuses China's goodwill, China will retaliate in accordance with the law to protect its own rights, and the Philippine side shall fully bear the relevant responsibilities and consequences," Wang said.
China warns Philippines not to abuse China's goodwill
Cities in China's Yangtze River Delta region have triggered emergency responses, including cancellation of trains and flights, road closures, and the relocation of affected civilians, after Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Shanghai on Monday, causing extensive disruption as it moves northwestward.
Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of the year, made landfall in the Pudong District of Shanghai around 07:30 on Monday morning.
At the time of landfall, the maximum wind speed near the eye of the storm was about 42 meters per second, making it the strongest typhoon to land in Shanghai in decades.
In preparation for the storm, the city had relocated over 410,000 residents, canceled 577 trains and 1,461 flights.
On Monday afternoon, the first flights landed at Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai since the two airports announced on Sunday evening that all flights were cancelled because of Bebinca.
In nearby Jiangsu Province, cities including Nantong and Suzhou have been lashed by gales and strong rainfall. Expressways in parts of Suzhou, Nantong, Wuxi and Changzhou cities were closed while reduced speed limits, toll booth closures and the closures of bridges across the the Yangtze River were also put into effect.
Over 21,000 vessels have returned to ports in Jiangsu, while more than 7,700 construction sites and 315 scenic spots in the province have also been closed.
In Zhejiang Province's eastern coastal city of Zhoushan, local authorities relocated over 44,000 residents living in the danger-prone regions.
At 15:00 on Monday, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters lowered the emergency response for Shanghai and Zhejiang from the previous Level III to Level IV, while the emergency response status for Jiangsu and east China's Anhui Province has been maintained at Level IV.
China's National Meteorological Center said that Bebinca will bring more heavy or torrential rain to Shanghai, northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan in the next three days.
Emergency responses triggered across eastern China in face of Typhoon Bebinca
