China: We Will Firmly Counter All Provocations at Sea

Chinese Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, stated today, during the opening of the 19th Maritime Seminar of the Western Pacific in Qingdao, China, that his country "will firmly counter all baseless provocations at sea and calls for resolving disputes through consultation." He added, "China has always insisted on resolving maritime disputes through friendly consultations with the directly concerned countries, but it will not allow goodwill to be exploited, nor will it recognize any distortion of international law. It will protect its rights in accordance with the law in cases of deliberate violations and will firmly counter unjustified provocations." He noted that "conflicts and friction are inevitable, but the important thing is to find the right way to resolve them," emphasizing that "history has always shown that deliberately provoking conflicts to serve self-interest ultimately harms the provoking party."