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China firmly opposes the actions by the Philippines that harm China's sovereignty, rights, and interests and will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a routine press conference in Beijing in response to the Philippines' illegal re-naming of China's Nansha Qundao.

The spokesperson said that the Philippines has illegally delineated the so-called "Kalayaan Island Group" beyond its own territorial scope and assigned names to Chinese islands and reefs in the Nansha Qundao. "Such actions have violated China's territorial sovereignty and violated the United Nations Charter and related international laws," Mao said.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters, she said.