On February 17, 2024 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the Munich Security Conference. He delivered a keynote speech and answered questions on the spot during the "Conversation with China" session, refuting the fallacy of the so-called aggressive China in the South China Sea.

Wang Yi said that the Nanhai Zhudao (the South China Sea Islands) have been China's territory since ancient times. In the 1960s and 1970s, some countries invaded and occupied some of China's islands and reefs one after another, but China has always exercised restraint and insisted on resolving the issue through friendly consultation, thus the so-called China's aggressiveness makes no sense. In 2002, China pushed for the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, which has effectively safeguarded peace and stability in the South China Sea. At present, China is working with ASEAN countries to accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and striving to reach an early agreement on regional rules which are effective, substantive and in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which will be more conducive to managing differences, stabilizing the South China Sea and promoting cooperation.

Wang Yi stressed that China and ASEAN countries have the ability and wisdom to reach the COC and safeguard peace, stability, and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of other countries in the region.