PH counters China claim: We are not exaggerating

The Philippines is not “exaggerating” its concern over the massive reclamations at the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) contrary to the claims of China, a Palace official said Saturday.

The Chinese government on Friday said the Philippines together with the United States are exaggerating the “China threat” over at the disputed waters.

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“It is not to our interest to exaggerate any incident or to make any incident bigger than it actually is because, as far as we were concerned, we only proceed upon the facts,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on state-run DzRB radio.

Valte said the Philippine government is “very objective” and “very accurate” when it comes to the presentation of facts and its position over the disputed West Philippine Sea.

She, however, said that “how it is perceived by other people outside is something that is not in government’s control.”

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The Philippines and China have been locked up in a long-standing maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine government has filed a series of arbitration cases against China before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (Itlos) but the Chinese government has refused to acknowledge and participate in the proceedings.

Instead, China has continued its massive reclamation in disputed waters. IDL