China criticizes Philippine defense department statement

China expressed firm opposition on Tuesday to a Philippine statement that interferes in the country's internal affairs, urging relevant individuals to stop making provocations and smearing China.

The Philippines' Department of National Defense issued a statement saying it "firmly rejects" recent commentary from China questioning the Philippines' legitimate security oversight of foreign-linked cultural and academic exchange programs.

In the statement, the department said it is gravely concerned about "the institutional risk posed by foreign legal frameworks."

This so-called statement is full of disinformation and smears, and constitutes a political provocation of an extremely malign nature, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in an online statement.

A small handful of individuals cooked up this so-called statement, issued in the name of a governmental department, to take hostage and disrupt China-Philippines relations in violation of the Philippines' commitments made in recent diplomatic communication, he said.

The facts are crystal clear for all to see: this small handful of anti-China forces in the Philippines have engaged in massive political and public opinion manipulation, trying every means to mix right and wrong, in order to seek selfish political gains and cover up the Philippines' infringement activities at sea, Lin said.

Their attempts will not succeed, he added.

"We once again urge these individuals to stop making provocations and creating trouble, and stop attacking and smearing China," Lin said.

The Philippine statement also brought up China's ethnic unity mandates which it said aims to "assert extraterritorial reach over individuals outside PRC jurisdiction."

Lin also stressed that the implementation of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law provides better protection for all ethnic groups' lawful rights and interests, and will serve as a solid legal safeguard for the cause of ethnic unity and progress.