Chinese diplomat slams Teodoro for ‘escalating tensions’ in West PH Sea

File photo of a China Coast Guard vessel firing its water cannon, as seen from the BRP Datu Taradapit of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources last June 20 during a Philippine resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese embassy in Manila has called Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro a “troublemaker” for asserting the Philippines’ sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

Ji Lingpeng, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, clapped back at Teodoro, accusing him of raising tensions between the two countries for describing Chinese claims as going well beyond mere sovereignty rights in the South China Sea.

For Ji, China’s claims have historical bases that are “clear and consistent.”

READ: Manila-to-beijing-ph-a-sovereign-state/)

“The reason some Philippine officials repeatedly make statements that distort and attack China’s position is, more likely, an attempt to escalate tensions between the two countries and mislead the international community,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Ji continued: “Anyone who carefully reads China’s position papers will not arrive at absurd claims such as ‘China claims indisputable sovereignty and territorial integrity over all waters in the nine-dash line.’”

He also echoed earlier remarks made by Chinese officials that the “Philippines is a genuine troublemaker and a creator of danger in the South China Sea.”

The Chinese consul was reacting to a statement by the defense secretary where he touched on the defense strategies of the administration ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July 28.

“A big shift has been our international engagements. We have been very proactive together with our partners in getting an alliance for international law and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Teodoro said in an interview with ANC.

“A major part of our national interest is to resist the Chinese claims. And might I underscore that their claim is not merely sovereignty rights but indisputable sovereignty and territorial integrity over all waters in the nine-dash line. While in accordance with UNCLOS, our claim is sovereign rights,” he added.

On Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard said it spotted three Chinese research vessels roaming within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without approval from Philippine authorities.

READ: Chinese research vessels spotted in West PH Sea — Coast Guard

In March, Teodoro reminded Beijing that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign nation whose actions are driven primarily by national interest.

His remark was in response to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who belittled the Philippines’ strategic decisions in the West Philippine Sea as a “screenplay written by external forces.” /mr