By Prashanth Parameswaran
Manila hits back at Beijing.
The Philippines dismissed concerns raised by China over Manila’s “hypocrisy” in conducting activities in the South China Sea while crying foul at Beijing’s efforts to do so.
The Philippines had halted activities in the South China Sea last year and suggested other nations follow suit due to concerns about an ongoing legal case against China. However, as The Diplomat previously reported, Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario said last week that Manila would now resume some activities amid massive Chinese land reclamation efforts that could alter the status quo before any legal verdict could be reached. Beijing said this announcement had “exposed the Philippines’ hypocrisy.”
But in a direct response to China, a Philippine foreign ministry spokesman on Saturday dismissed any attempt to compare Manila’s proposal to resume limited repair and reconstruction works with Beijing’s massive land reclamation efforts that involved changing the very nature of individual features.
Read the full story at The Diplomat