China has described the Philippines as a source of trouble and danger in the South China Sea following the latter’s move to shift its focus to improving its defense against external forces.

In a statement on Wednesday, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang responded to the Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s pronouncements that the Philippine military is shifting its focus from combating domestic insurgency to external defense.

“The remarks made by the Philippine side are a complete distortion of facts and an act of shifting blame,” Zhang said.

“The territorial scope of the Philippines has long been defined by a series of international treaties, and the islands in the South China Sea that belong to China are outside the Philippines’ territorial boundaries,” he said.

According to him, the Philippines not only “illegally occupied some islands and reefs of China’s Nansha (Spratly) Islands, but also frequently provokes and harasses the Chinese side at sea.”

“Furthermore, it colludes with extraterritorial forces to stir up trouble in the South China Sea,” he said. “It is, without doubt, a true troublemaker and risk creator.”

“China’s determination and will to safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests remain unwavering. China will continue to resolutely counter the Philippines’ violations and provocations in accordance with the law and regulations,” he added.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark arbitration case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The ruling invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

China, however, has rejected the award, calling it “illegal, null and void.”