Ottawa (People’s Daily) - The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said that China is opposed to the South China Sea motion adopted by the Canada Senate on Tuesday.  

“Canada is not a party to the South China Sea issue. Some people, knowing nothing or caring nothing about what really happened in the South China Sea, in the guise of respecting international laws and safeguarding the freedom of navigation and overflight, groundlessly blames China and tries to get Canada into the trap. This is irresponsible. Its purpose is nothing but casting a shadow over China-Canada relations which are developing smoothly. But it will be futile and doomed to fail.”

 That is part of the comments he made after the Canada Senate voted to adopt a motion on the South China Sea issue tabled in 2016 by Conservative Senator Thanh Hai Ngo.  

 The adopted motion calls upon the Canadian government to take a leading role in urging all involved parties in the South China Sea dispute to “recognize and uphold the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight” and “cease all activities that would complicate or escalate the disputes, such as the construction of artificial islands, land reclamation, and further militarization of the region”. 

 The spokesman pointed out that “some outside forces are not willing to see the gentle breeze and calm waves in the South China Sea and try to stir up trouble and muddle the waters, so as to destroy the hard-won peaceful and stable situation of the region, and to destroy the friendly and cooperative relations among the countries in the region”.

 He said that “with the concerted efforts of China and the ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea has de-escalated and appeased, and continue to improve”. “This is an irresistible trend and meets the regional countries' people's aspirations”.

Top image: Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103  in a patrol in South China Sea. (Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)