South China Sea: Beijing hits back at Philippine envoy over economic coercion claims

Name: Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint
Uploaded: 2024-03-03T13:00:14.000Z
Duration: 1 min 49 s
Description: Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint

Stop reckless speculation and spreading the China threat theory, Chinese embassy says

Jose Manuel Romualdez had warned that Philippine exports to China could be in danger as maritime tensions rise

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A Chinese coast guard ship (right) sails past a Philippine fishing boat near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, in disputed waters of the South China Sea in February. Photo: AFP

Laura Zhou

Published: 9:00pm, 3 Mar 2024

China has accused a top Philippine envoy of “reckless speculation”, hitting back at the official’s claim that Beijing was using economic coercion against Manila in their dispute over the South China Sea.

In a Chinese-language statement on Sunday, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines also accused Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, of “disregarding basic facts, recklessly speculating on the South China Sea issue, and engaging in empty speculation and malicious smearing of China”.

The Philippines should stop “drawing wolves into the house and forming a ‘clique’”, which it said “would never help resolve the South China Sea disputes”.

“On the contrary, it will only complicate the situation in the region, jeopardise regional peace and stability, and undermine its own security,” the embassy said.

“We strongly advise the people concerned to stop spreading the ‘China threat theory’, to refrain from spreading ‘persecution paranoia’ … and to do more for the benefit of their own people and the friendship between China and the Philippines.”

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Chinese floating barrier blocks entrance to Philippine ships at South China Sea flashpoint

The statement was in response to Romualdez’s assessment that his country’s agricultural exports to China could be “in peril” as maritime tensions with China grew.