A Chinese official urged the Philippines to stop misleading the international community and using the issues in the South China Sea (SCS) to instigate disputes.
"The Philippines should stop misleading the international community, stop instigating disputes using the South China Sea issue, and stop drawing support from external forces to disrupt peace and stability in the region," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a press conference.
The spokesman made the remarks a day after President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. questioned the premise of China's proposal on the 10-dash line claim on SCS.
"We have not rejected any proposals that China has made for us," Marcos said during a joint press conference in Germany.
"But the premise is something that we question. The premise that China has made is that their territory follows the 10-dash line. This is not recognized by any country, by any international body, and certainly not the Philippines," Marcos said during a joint press conference in Germany," he continued.
Dismissing Marcos' statement, Wang said China has never claimed the entire South China Sea (SCS) as well as the waters within the "dotted line."
"China never claimed that the whole of the South China Sea belongs to China,” he said.
"The Philippine side accuses China of claiming all waters inside the dotted line as territory. It is not in line with the fact and is deliberate distortion of China’s position," he added.
According to Wang, China was the first country to discover, name, explore, and exploit Nanhai Zhudao or SCS islands and relevant waters.
He emphasized that China has historical rights in the South China Sea.
"China has internal waters, territorial sea and contiguous zone, based on Nanhai Zhudao; China has exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, based on Nanhai Zhudao; And China has historic rights in the South China Sea," he said.
"The above positions are consistent with relevant international law and practice. As early as in 1948, the Chinese government officially released the dotted line, which has been upheld by successive Chinese governments," he added.
However, in 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis.
The decision has been rejected by Beijing even up to this date, causing more tensions between the two countries.
Wang added that China hopes to continue to address maritime differences with countries directly involved through talks, and manage the maritime situation with these countries.
"To address the South China Sea issue, we are firm in upholding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and stand ready to address the maritime differences through negotiation and consultation with countries directly concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts," he said.
