Manila condemned over grounded warship (2)

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday that Beijing has never tolerated Manila's illegal attempt to seize the reef and Chinese government vessels are entitled to patrol there.

He was speaking in response to a recent claim by the Philippines that Chinese ships pose a threat to the security of the Nansha Islands.

Hong said China also urged relevant countries to fully and sincerely implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to refrain from actions that could aggravate or complicate the issue, and avoid any action that could undermine peace and stability in the region.

Yang Baoyun, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Peking University, said Manila is again acting like a victim but is actually provoking Beijing to gain international sympathy and show off its "influence" in the South China Sea.

"The Philippines also plans to play up the reef topic at the Shangri-La Dialogue, starting on Friday in Singapore, to win more support from major powers such as the United States. They did the same thing last year regarding the Huangyan Island," Yang said.

Li said that meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to be held later this year will be used by Manila as a platform for spreading the argument on the South China Sea issue.

China also rejected a report by the US Defense Science Board, which said Chinese hackers have gained access to the designs of two dozen US weapons systems.

The Ministry of National Defense said the accusation is a misjudgment that underestimates the Pentagon's security capability as well as Chinese people's wisdom.

Li Hong, secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said: "The accusation could be an excuse for the Pentagon to increase its military expenditure. And the cybersecurity issue, which has been exaggerated by the US media immediately before President Xi Jinping meets US President Barack Obama early next month, can become a bargaining chip for the US during the meeting."