Written by Karen Lema
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ national security adviser said on Friday the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Philippine Navy admiral amid a significant escalation in the violent standoff over the South China Sea. I asked for
Eduardo Ano said in a statement that the Chinese embassy in Manila orchestrated “repeated acts of involvement and dissemination of disinformation, disinformation and fraudulent information” with the aim of sowing discord, division and discord.
Such acts “should not be passed without authorization and without significant penalties,” he said.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment on the request to expel the diplomat. The office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
The two countries have been embroiled in a series of fierce standoffs in disputed areas of the South China Sea over the last year, as the Philippines, with support from the United States and other allies, stepped up operations in China’s vast coast guard-held waters. .
China accused the Philippines of trespass and betrayal, and Manila accused China of aggressive policies and dangerous maneuvers within its exclusive economic zone.
The expulsion of the diplomats so far comes at two disputed shoals more than 850 kilometers (530 miles) from mainland China that have seen heated exchanges, diplomatic protests, ramming of Philippine ships and water cannons. This has the potential to intensify existing conflicts. .
Ano was referring to reports this week of a purportedly leaked phone call between a Chinese diplomat and a Philippine admiral discussing disputes over the South China Sea, in which the admiral agreed to concessions with China. There were records showing that.
According to a manuscript published by the Manila Times, the admiral will reduce the number of ships used by the Philippines on a military resupply mission at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and China’s decision to notify Beijing in advance of the mission. I agreed with the “new model” proposal.
Reuters did not hear the reported phone conversation and could not confirm the contents of the released recording. According to the report, the conversation took place in January and the recording was provided by a “senior Chinese official,” who was not named.
“Operation Interference”
Ano said he supported the Defense Secretary in calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs to take appropriate action against embassy officials who allegedly recorded telephone conversations in violation of Philippine law and diplomatic protocol. Ta. .
“The Chinese embassy officials and those responsible for these malign influence and interference activities must be immediately expelled from the country,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday that the embassy in Manila had released details of “related communications” between the two countries regarding the management of the situation at Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines has troops stationed on a stationed warship. Ta.
In comments shared by the embassy, Lin did not elaborate on what details or when the communication was released, but said, “The facts are clear and supported by hard evidence that cannot be denied.” said.
“The Philippines is trying to mislead the international community by claiming to deny these objective facts,” Lin added.
China has long been troubled by the Philippines’ keeping a small number of marines at Second Thomas Shoal on a rusting ship that it intentionally ran aground on the reef 25 years ago.
Beijing has repeatedly said the Philippines has agreed to tow the ship, but Manila has refused.
Julio Amador, a Manila-based political analyst, said the expulsion of diplomats should be part of the Philippines’ diplomatic toolkit and that Chinese embassy officials value cooperation with Philippine officials. He said it shows that it is not.
“Diplomacy is based on trust, but China is trying to make every meeting between its diplomats and representatives of the Philippine government look like a negotiation with a binding outcome,” he said.
“The Philippines has no right to make demands on how its sovereign territory is managed.”
(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Neil Fullick and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
