The Chinese Embassy in Manila has accused the Philippine Coast Guard of “stirring up trouble” in the Panganiban (Mischief) Reef after Beijing reportedly fired flares near PCG aircraft during a maritime domain flight on Friday.

Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei explicitly called out Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, for allegedly trying to “manufacture confrontation and escalate tension by flying over” Mischief Reef—or Meiji Jiao, as called by Beijing—armed with local journalists.

“The videos and photos he releases to generate media hype cannot alter the fundamental fact that China has sovereignty over the relevant islands, reefs, and their adjacent waters,” Guo asserted.

The embassy issued the statement on Friday, shortly after reports that Chinese forces launched flares near PCG aircraft during its flight near Mischief Reef, described as a dangerous provocation against Filipino personnel.

China has transformed Mischief Reef—located just over 20 nautical miles from Ayungin Shoal, a Philippine military outpost in the West Philippine Sea—into a large militarized artificial island.

The PCG further drew criticism from the Chinese Embassy after Tarriela, on X (formerly Twitter), “corrected” a China Daily report, which suggested the Philippines is to blame for escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

The report also quoted China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jiang Bin, who accused the PCG of deliberately “taking journalists on board during its so-called patrol missions to film videos and play up the 'victim's narrative' has become the not-so-surprising playbook for the Philippine side.”

Tarriela, in response, rejected the claims, saying that it is not the PCG’s actions that escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea, but China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions.”

Guo, however, countered that China’s activities in the area are lawful and that its response remains “professional and restrained.”

“It must be disappointing to Mr. Tarriela and his team that their recent attempts to stir up trouble in different features in the South China Sea all failed,” Guo said, adding that this is the “same old trick” used in the PCG’s transparency initiative.

“Sovereignty is never decided by geographical proximity. Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands), including Meiji Jiao, has long been part of China’s territory. The boundaries of the Philippines are defined by a series of international treaties, none of which place these islands within Philippine jurisdiction,” he asserted.

The Philippines and China have long been engaged in a maritime dispute over the South China Sea, which includes areas within the West Philippine Sea. Beijing continues to assert jurisdiction over the WPS despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its expansive claims in the region.

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also criticized China’s “erroneous” and “misleading” statement asserting “indisputable sovereignty” over the entire South China Sea and adjacent waters, calling it historically baseless and unsupported by international law.

DFA maritime affairs spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva said the Philippines remains committed to resolving disputes through dialogue, but stressed that this should not be mistaken as “concession.”