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China's Defense Ministry, apparently responding to online rumors fueled by a standoff with the Philippines in the South China Sea, denied that it was making preparations for war.

 

Rumors last week on popular Chinese military-discussion pages claimed that military units had begun battle preparations and military personnel had been ordered to cancel vacations. The standoff between China and the Philippines is over the Scarborough Shoal, a collection of islands, rocks, and reefs known in Chinese as Huangyan Island.

 

In a brief statement posted online, the Chinese defense ministry said, "Reports that the Guangzhou Military Region, the South Sea Fleet and other units entered a state of combat readiness are not true."