The US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien has made some unreasonable remarks on the South China Sea (SCS), Hong Kong and Taiwan issues during his visit to the Philippines. He blatantly accused China on no ground, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, deliberately exaggerated regional tensions and attempted to sow discord between China and the Philippines.

We firmly oppose these remarks which are full of Cold War mentality and wantonly incite confrontation. It shows that his visit to this region is not to promote regional peace and stability, but to create chaos in the region in order to seek selfish interests of the US. In recent years, in order to safeguard its regional and global hegemony, the US has regarded itself as "patron" and "judge" of regional countries and directly intervened in the SCS and other issues, fanned the flames everywhere, stirred up confrontation among the countries in the region, interfered in the efforts of China and relevant ASEAN countries to peacefully negotiate and manage disputes, and seriously undermined regional peace and stability.

The US itself refused to join the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but it talked much about UNCLOS and abused its provisions everywhere, infringing upon the maritime rights and interests of other countries. The US is not a party to the SCS dispute, but it frequently sends warships and planes to the SCS on numerous occasions for military provocations, goes as far as using the electronic codes of civil aviation planes of the Philippines and other regional countries to carry out espionage flights in the SCS. Facts have proved that the US is the biggest driver of the militarization of the SCS and the most dangerous external factor endangering the peace and stability of the SCS.

With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the SCS remains stable and is improving. We, the regional countries, have the will, wisdom and capability to properly handle the SCS issue and achieve long-term stability, development and prosperity in this region. At the 23rd China-ASEAN Summit held last week, the leaders of China and ASEAN countries agreed to step up dialogue and consultation to properly manage and control differences, and advance the COC consultations to ensure peace and stability of the SCS.

What the US has done is obviously contrary to the aspirations of the countries in the region and also goes against the trend of history, which is doomed to failure. We urge the US side to respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the SCS, respect the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries for maintaining a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop interfering and inciting confrontation in the SCS.

There is only one China in the world. Both Taiwan and Hong Kong are inalienable parts of China. This is an objective fact and a basic norm governing international relations, which can not be denied by a handful of politicians with Cold War mentality. This year, more than 70 countries, including the Philippines, have made statements to firmly support China and to oppose the interference in other countries' internal affairs at the UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly and other occasions. This reflects the common voice and just position of the international community and demonstrates that facts speak louder than words. We hope that some politicians in the US should focus more on solving their own domestic issues and stop making irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan and Hong Kong issue, which are purely China's internal affairs.

The global pandemic is still raging and the global economy is in recession. Solidarity and cooperation is what the world needs most instead of confrontation. Facing a world with difficulties and challenges, it is against the interest of all to escalate tensions and widen differences. China respects and appreciates the Philippines' independent foreign policy. We firmly believe that the Philippine government and people will stand on the right side of history. The Philippines' future will not float in anywhere, but will be deeply rooted in its own national development, in a stable and amicable neighborhood, and in a peaceful and prosperous Asian region.