Any provocative moves in the South China Sea will only lead to increased regional tensions, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
An official from the Philippines military said on Wednesday that joint naval exercises held frequently with the United States and other Western powers were aimed at curbing Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
In a response to such remarks, Mao said, "China has sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, and we safeguard our sovereign rights and interests in accordance with domestic and international laws. We always believe that defense and security cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, should not target a third party, and should not harm the interests of a third party. A show of force and provoking confrontation in the South China Sea will only exacerbate tensions and undermine regional stability."
Provocative moves in South China Sea will only increase tensions: spokeswoman
The European Union should look to learn from China and tap into the various advantages offered by the vast Chinese market across a broad spectrum of fast-developing industries, according to Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Sakova.
Sakova is currently in Shanghai to attend the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE), which is running through to Nov. 10 under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," and has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the opening day of the expo on Tuesday, Sakova said Slovakia is looking forward to future cooperation with China and noted there are many areas for potential collaboration including in the energy, automotive and infrastructure industries.
"We have to learn something from China within the European Union, and we would like to customize it for the European market. China is the biggest market and you have 1.4 billion people and it [has] really good potential to import everything. Also there is a potential for industry, for the automotive industry. Of course, there is the area of renewables, energy grid, traffic infrastructure. There are several potential areas for our cooperation and collaboration in the future," said Sakova in an interview on opening day of the expo on Tuesday.
First held in 2018, the CIIE is the world's first national-level exhibition dedicated to import. This year, the event has achieved a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders in attendance, which experts say signals confidence in the Chinese market amid a sluggish global economic recovery.
EU should learn from China, explore potential cooperation: Slovakian deputy PM
