China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday blamed the Philippine military and coast guard for deliberate provocations in the South China Sea, after Philippine personnel from an illegally grounded vessel aggressively harassed a small China Coast Guard patrol boat near China's Ren'ai Jiao.
"I’ve just made China’s position clear on the recent maritime issues between China and the Philippines. The incident was entirely caused by the deliberate provocations from Philippine military and police," Lin said at a regular news briefing.
"It is worth noting that, whenever China and the Philippines are about to engage in communication and interaction, or whenever the region is set to host important diplomatic events, certain forces will exploit maritime issues to provoke trouble. As to where the facts and merits of the issue lie and who is pulling the strings behind the scenes, I believe it’s plain for all to see. China’s policy on neighborhood diplomacy remains consistent and unchanged," said Lin.
"The platform for East Asian cooperation is not the right place to discuss bilateral maritime disputes. The Philippines should earnestly honor its responsibility as the ASEAN rotating chair to promote dialogue and cooperation, rather than put its selfish political gains above regional peace and stability," he said.
As ASEAN chair for 2026, the Philippines on Monday began hosting the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting. A series of related meetings, including conferences with external partners such as China and the United States, will take place in the following days.
Chinese foreign ministry blames Philippine military, coast guard for maritime provocations
