Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito on Thursday slammed China for projecting itself as the "victim" in recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea.

"It is outright wrong for China to claim to be 'properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation' when it is, in fact, harassing our operations within our exclusive economic zone," Ejercito said in a statement.

"Who is using water cannons to obstruct and prevent our Filipino vessels during our resupply missions? Who has been bullying and violating international maritime laws over the past months in our sovereign waters? It is none other than China," he said.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to "return to the right path as soon as possible, with properly handling and managing the current maritime situation as a top priority."

Ejercito, however, said it is China that should stop its expansionist policies in the South China Sea.

"I urge China to halt President Xi Jinping's expansionist policies to prevent potential conflicts," he said.

He also urged China to honor the  2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which rejected Beijing's nearly all-encompassing claim to the South China Sea, which overlaps with the WPS.

"We hope that China honors the verdict of the Hague-based tribunal — constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — which ruled that China's claim of historical rights within its nine-dash line lacked any legal foundation," he said.

He added: "The bottom line is to respect Philippine sovereignty and leave our territorial waters alone."

'WPS is ours'

The lawmaker noted that the two nations can only achieve peace and a sound relationship "if both countries acknowledge each other's maritime rights."

"In this case, it is essential to recognize that the West Philippines Sea belongs to us — the Philippines," he stressed.

China has warned the Philippines to "act with caution" following recent encounters between the two nations' vessels in the WPS.

Wang talked with his Philippine counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, over the phone on Wednesday.

He noted that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China "now stands at a crossroads, with its future yet to be decided."

In case the Philippines "misjudges the situation, goes its own way, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up trouble," Wang said China will "defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely."

China's top diplomat pointed out that the "severe difficulties" facing China-Philippines relations now are "rooted in the fact that the Philippine side has changed its policy, reneged on the promises it has made, constantly provoked troubles at sea, and undermined China's legitimate and lawful rights."

For his part, Manalo said he had a "frank and candid exchange" with Wang.

"We had a frank and candid exchange and ended our call with a clearer understanding of our respective positions on a number of issues," he said in a separate statement.

"We both noted the importance of dialogue in addressing these issues," Manalo added.

Earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that Manila's efforts at diplomacy with Beijing were headed "in a poor direction," highlighting the need for a "paradigm shift" to address China's continuous aggression in the WPS.

For two consecutive days on the first weekend of December, China used water cannons on Philippine vessels that were on resupply missions to Filipino troops in BRP Sierra Madre stationed at Ayungin and Scarborough shoals.

Since the beginning of the year, the Department of Foreign Affairs has lodged 65 diplomatic protests against China's aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.