China’s embassy condemns Philippine envoy’s remarks on South China Sea

BEIJING: China’s embassy in the Philippines on Sunday said it “strongly” condemns the Philippine ambassador to Washington’s recent China-related remarks, saying they “disregarded basic facts”.

The remarks “wantonly hyped up the South China Sea issue and made speculations and malicious smears against China,” the embassy said in a statement. Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Wednesday that while the United States sees both the South China Sea issue and a potential Taiwan conflict as “serious concerns”, he believed the “real flashpoint is the West Philippine Sea” given “all of these skirmishes happening there.”

The Chinese embassy said: “Inviting wolves into the house and engaging in small circles will not only help resolve the differences in the South China Sea, but on the contrary will complicate the regional situation, and undermine regional peace and stability.”