“[Such military cooperation is] in fact a way to pull the Philippines against China and tie the country to the chariot of geopolitical strife, seriously jeopardising Philippine national interests and regional peace and stability.”
The statement also accused the US of “stirring up trouble in the South China Sea” with its muscle-flexing maritime patrols, which it said intended to “interfere with and undermine China-Philippines efforts to maintain peace and stability” in the disputed waters.
While the first statement on Friday put the blame almost squarely on the US, the latest one seemed to also take aim at the Marcos Jnr government.
“Now that China and the Philippines, among other countries in the region, are at a critical juncture of post-Covid recovery, we should keep to the right track of maintaining good-neighbourliness and attaining mutual benefit rather than getting distracted by forces who are fanning the flames and driving a wedge between us,” it said.
“We should abandon the perverse path of sowing dissension and causing trouble, not to mention the evil path of drawing wolves into the house and opening the door for thieves.”
The first statement – issued after US under secretary of state Victoria Nuland visited the Philippines last week – had also slammed the two countries’ military cooperation as “endangering regional peace and stability”.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, where the Philippines Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have competing claims.
In a departure from his Beijing-friendly predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jnr last month called the maritime dispute with China “the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world” and said the Philippine military would focus on external defence.
He summoned China’s ambassador after a February 6 incident in which laser light used by a Chinese coastguard ship allegedly temporarily blinded crew members on a Philippine patrol boat off a disputed reef in the Spratly Islands, over which both nations claim sovereignty.
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Chinese military ship accused of shining laser light at Philippine coastguard vessel
China on Friday reiterated its sovereignty claims over the Spratlys, known in Chinese as the Nansha Islands, and its adjacent waters.
“Therefore, it is reasonable and legal for Chinese ships to carry out normal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
