Philippines a 'maker of trouble and danger' in the South China Sea

The Philippines is purely a "maker of trouble and danger" in the South China Sea, a Chinese defense spokesman said on Wednesday.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing, in response to recent comments of Philippine politicians.

According to Philippine media, the country's Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro recently said that the Philippine military is shifting its focus from combating domestic insurgency to external defense, and would be resistant to what he claimed was Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

Zhang said the remarks from the Philippine side were completely a distortion of facts and an unfounded countercharge.

"The territorial scope of the Philippines has long been defined by a series of international treaties, and the islands in the South China Sea are outside the territorial range of the Philippines," he noted.

The Philippine side has not only illegally occupied some islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands but also frequently provoked and harassed China at sea, he said.

Moreover, the Philippines is aligning with external forces to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, making it a true troublemaker and danger creator, the spokesman said.

"China's determination and will to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests remain unwavering, and it will continue to firmly counter the Philippine's infringing and provocative actions in accordance with the law," he said.