QINGDAO /China/, April 22. /TASS/. China is firmly against any unjustified provocations at sea and affirms its commitment to resolving disputes diplomatically, Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia said.

"China has always insisted on resolving maritime disputes through friendly consultations with the countries directly concerned; it does not tolerate any abuse of good faith, does not recognize the distortion of international law, and will protect its rights in accordance with the law in case of deliberate violation, and firmly oppose unjustified provocation," he said at the 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium held in the port city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province.

According to him, disputes are inevitable, so what matters most is finding the right way to solve them. At the same time, the senior defense official pointed out that history has shown that deliberately stirring up trouble for one's own benefit ultimately harms the party that does it.

 

Qingdao Symposium

 

The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) is being held on April 22-24. According to the organizers, the symposium participants will discuss issues of maritime security and governance.

This is the second time the symposium has been held in China since 2014. The previous time, the participants adopted a document laying down new rules of conduct in the maritime domain. The first such symposium took place in 1988. This year’s event welcomes 29 countries, including Russia, with seven other countries acting as observers.

Russia is represented at this year's symposium by Black Sea Fleet Commander Alexander Moiseyev.