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Philippines breached consensus, Chinese Foreign Minister says

Placement of US medium-range missiles in the Philippines "will create tension and confrontation in the region and provoke the arms race, which is absolutely not in line with interests and wants and needs of the Philippine nation," Wang Yi said

BEIJING, July 27. /TASS/. The Philippines breached the consensus and infringes upon the Chinese sovereignty, Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi said during the meeting with Philippines’ Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

"Sino-Philippine relations currently face serious difficulties and problems again, caused by the Philippine side repeatedly breaching the consensus between the two countries and its obligations, constantly infringing upon the Chinese sovereignty at sea and making public noise," Wang said, cited by the Xinhua news agency. Beijing is seriously concerned of that and decisively stands against such actions, he stressed.

Placement of US medium-range missiles in the Philippines "will create tension and confrontation in the region and provoke the arms race, which is absolutely not in line with interests and wants and needs of the Philippine nation," the Chinese minister noted.

China and the Philippines has recently achieved a temporary agreement on the issue of humanitarian cargoes deliveries to the Ren’ai Reef in order to keep the situation at seas stable, Wang noted. The Philippines should honor its promises, otherwise China "will definitely take decisive countermeasures," he cautioned.

Ministers met during the annual series of ministerial and post-ministerial meetings of ASEAN and countries - ASEAN dialog partners. The territorial dispute between China and the Philippines regarding the Ren’ai Reef (also known as the Ayungin Reef) in the South China Sea aggravated during the last several months.