China urges Philippines to stop stirring up troubles in South China Sea

China has urged the Philippines to stop banding together with others for selfish interests and stirring up troubles in the South China Sea, said Jiang Bin, spokesman of China's Ministry of National Defense, on Friday.

He emphasized that China has always opposed using the South China Sea issue as a pretext to provoke confrontation, and believed that military cooperation between relevant countries should not target any third party or undermine regional peace and stability.

The Philippine side, however, actively courts external forces to make bluffs, in an attempt to destabilize the region for its own gain. Such actions completely contradict the shared aspirations of regional countries for peace, development and stability, according to him.

"We ask the Philippines to stop its provocations and hypes, and stop ganging up with others to stir up troubles in the South China Sea, and return to the right track of resolving differences through dialogue and consultation," he added.

His remarks came after the Philippine armed forces reportedly said that the Philippine-Indian joint naval exercise was conducted near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. The Philippines' military claimed that the exercise was to improve the interoperability between the two countries and show India's support to the Philippines in its skirmishes with China.