(Updated 6:03 p.m.) BEIJING – China on Monday accused the Philippines of spreading misinformation and “creating the illusion of the victim” in their dispute over the South China Sea after Manila aired a three-part documentary defending its position.
The first part of the documentary series titled “Karapatan sa Dagat,” or maritime rights, was released as the Philippines observed Independence Day on June 12.
“The Philippines is attempting to mislead and deceive, gain sympathy by cheating and create the illusion of the ‘victim,'” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement on the ministry’s website. He accused the Philippines of aiming to incite the people of the two countries.
Tit-for-tat rhetorical exchanges between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea dispute have escalated in recent months.
Last week, a Defense Ministry spokesman accused the Philippines of trying to draw other countries into the dispute to stir up regional tensions after Japan joined a military drill with the Philippines.