Aquino spokesman hits back at China

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda hit back at China after the Asian giant's foreign ministry accused the Philippines and Japan of stirring tensions in disputed waters.

In his Twitter account, Lacierda said China is guilty of the very thing of which it accuses the Philippines.

4 China 2 accuse PH of stirring tension while it draws a map claiming almost all of South China Sea is like d pot calling the kettle black!

— Edwin Lacierda (@dawende) June 26, 2014

On Wednesday, China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying criticized the meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and urged the two nations to stop making trouble.

"It is our opinion that relevant countries should show sincerity and move towards the same direction with China, rather than deliberately stir up tension and bring additional complicated factors to the regional situation," Hua said.

The Chinese official was making a reaction to the statement of Aquino, who supported Abe's proposal to reinterpret Japan's constitution to allow its military to defend allies that come under attack.

China remains locked in a territorial dispute with Japan and the Philippines. While it keeps criticizing the two nations, it also continues to expand its military presence in the contested waters.

Earlier this week, the Chinese state media even showed a new map of China which includes an expanded claim in the South China Sea and has extended Beijing's maritime claims from the original nine-dash line to a ten-dash line.

But Malacañang belittled the newly unveiled map of China, saying it also violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"To put it simply, dinrowing lang nila ‘yon. Lahat naman ng drawing na ‘yan ay na-supersede na ng UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing yesterday. -Louis Bacani