China: No problem with freedom of navigation, overflight in SCS

China on Friday said there ''has never been a problem'' with freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea as it asked the Philippines not to start a conflict with United States support.

Cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not target third parties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference when asked about U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks on Friday that the two countries should strengthen deterrence against threats, including Chinese "aggression."

"I would like to emphasize there has never been a problem with freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea," Guo said.

''The U.S. needs to get rid of its Cold War mentality, stop creating ideological confrontation, stop sowing tension in the region and discord between its countries, and stop being the disrupter and provocateur in the South China Sea. We also call on the Philippines to stop creating instability with U.S. backing, still less seek military confrontation," he added.

Hegseth made the remark as he paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. in Malacañang, where the US official reiterated that they recognize Manila's rights in parts of the South China Sea.

Marcos said Hegseth's visit was a strong indication of the commitment of both nations to work together in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Philippines and China, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a vital global trading route that is also rich in undersea oil and gas deposits.

Manila largely won a landmark case against China’s massive claim in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2016, but Beijing did not recognize the ruling.

Marcos stood his ground that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) belongs to the Filipinos amid China's aggression in the resource-rich region.

West Philippine Sea is the name the Philippines uses to refer to portions of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone and its jurisdiction. —Reuters/VBL/KG, GMA Integrated News