My Take | Exchanging insults in realm of fantasy

The war of words between Japan and China has resumed as tensions in the East and South China Seas heat up again.

Tokyo yesterday compared China to Mordor in the Lord of the Rings. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the way President Xi Jinping looked at people certainly reminded him of the great evil eye of Sauron. He also points out the resemblance between the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee with the Nazgul or the ringwraith - the powerful servants of Sauron.

"Even their slogans are same: One ring [party] to rule them all," Abe told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview.

Meanwhile, not content with sitting on the sideline while his neighbours insulted each other with references from fantasy books, Philippines President Benigno Aquino joined the fray, saying Chinese leaders behaved like the House of Lannister in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones.

"They are filthy rich but they still want more," he said. "Beijing's motto is exactly the same as the House of Lannister: Hear Me Roar!" Xi has called China an "awakened lion".

The Philippines has filed a case in the UN arbitration tribunal challenging Beijing's claim to most of the South China Sea after a dramatic stand-off with China's coastguard. This was despite Chinese warnings of a fallout in bilateral relations.