Philippine officials have banned a senior Chinese diplomat from meetings for alleged rude behaviour, in the latest fallout from a feud over the potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands, officials said. Department of Foreign Affairs officials said Tuesday that Chinese Embassy First Secretary Li Yongsheng, who heads its political section, raised his voice at a Filipino officer last month while discussing Philippine allegations of Chinese intrusions in Manila-claimed areas in the Spratlys.
A memorandum from the department's Asian and Pacific Affairs office said Li exhibited "conduct unbecoming of a diplomat" and that the Chinese embassy had been informed he would not be allowed to attend future meetings at the Philippine office.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has been informed about the incident, according to the memo, which was seen by The Associated Press. The memorandum did not provide details of what happened at the meeting, but at least three senior Filipino diplomats said Li raised his voice in an offensive manner during a discussion of Manila's claims that Chinese forces intruded into Philippine territorial waters in and near the Spratlys. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they lacked authority to talk to reporters.
The Chinese Embassy said Wednesday it would not react to anonymous statements. It did not address Li's alleged misconduct but said in a cellphone text message that all its diplomats in Manila are "working with every sense of sincerity and responsibility for the improvement and development of China-Philippines friendly relations."
The Spratlys, a chain of barren, largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks in the South China Sea, are claimed in entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. They are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas and straddle busy sea lanes.
Speaking before diplomats Tuesday, Aquino said Filipinos should not allow themselves to be bullied by bigger nations in an obvious reference to China. "If we allow ourselves to be pushed around, maybe tomorrow our 7,100 islands would be down to just two digits," he said. "Nobody wants trouble but this doesn't mean that we'll allow ourselves to get dragged by bigger countries," he said. The Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of intruding at least nine times into Philippine waters in recent months.