BEIJING, June 3. /TASS/. The US authorities are playing a shameful role in escalating tensions in the South China Sea, using the territorial friction between China and the Philippines for selfish purposes, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The US has played a most shameful role. In pursuit of its geopolitical self-serving goals, it supports the illegal actions of the Philippine side and uses the South China Sea issue to provoke the relations between China and the states in the region," the statement posted on the ministry's website said.

It specified that Beijing holds Manila fully responsible for the recent escalation in the region. The Philippines has violated its commitments, "provoked maritime disputes and joined hands with outside forces in a show of military might," as well as "spread false information to defame and discredit China," the statement said.

"To a discerning eye, it is clear whose interests are served by the Philippines' foreign policy and for whom it is working through its actions at sea," the ministry pointed out. "In this regard, countries in the region must be especially vigilant, take the lead, and firmly hold the peace and stability of the South China Sea in their hands," the Chinese diplomats emphasized.

Friction in the region over territorial disputes

Incidents in the South China Sea have recently increased in frequency, leading to heightened tensions. These include the displacement of Philippine ships and vessels by Chinese Coast Guard vessels.

For several decades, China has been in dispute with several countries over the territorial ownership of certain islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered. The first of these are the Sisha archipelago (Paraselsky Islands), the Nansha (Spratly) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef) islands, which are contested by Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.