By Liz Lee
BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) – China accused the Philippines of an “extremely serious political provocation” on Tuesday, after Manila expressed concern about the potential influence of China’s state-linked institutions on local education through cultural exchange programmes.
Tension has grown between the two countries over repeated maritime disputes and confrontations in the busy South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely as its own, despite overlapping claims by regional countries.
Defending the need for oversight of foreign state-backed academic and cultural exchange programmes, the Philippine defence department last week pointed to Beijing’s national security law that compels cooperation with state intelligence agencies.
Manila’s statement was “filled with lies and malicious attacks,” China’s foreign ministry said in a reply to questions on the matter from Reuters.
The ministry said a small group of people “recklessly hijacked and undermined China-Philippines relations,” without identifying them.
“A small group of anti-China forces in the Philippines, seeking political gain and attempting to cover up their country’s maritime violations, are resorting to political manipulation and media distortion,” it added.
In June, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro called China “wicked”, prompting Beijing to accuse him of pulling a “stunt to serve his own political self-interest.”
Beijing imposed sanctions on Teodoro in June after he characterised China as a “severe threat territory-wise and politically.”
Suspicions about China’s activities in the Philippines have intensified recently, with a former mayor, identified as a Chinese national with possible links to criminal syndicates, found guilty of human trafficking last year.
(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Kate Mayberry)
