China keeps up military pressure on Philippines as territorial tensions grow

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi says the country will maintain military pressure on the Philippines amid a dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea that could involve US forces defending their treaty partner.

In a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique A Manalo, Mr Wang “warned that if the Philippine side misjudges the situation, goes its own way, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely”, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.