Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro in Manila, the Philippines, July 22, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday called on regional countries to resist external attempts to stoke tensions, reject any nation's efforts to stir trouble in the South China Sea, and keep the initiative for safeguarding regional peace and stability firmly in their own hands.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, the Philippines.

Stressing that a critical window for finalizing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea is now open, he called on all parties to seize the opportunity, fend off interference, and deliver on that objective.