China Says Relations With US Ally Facing 'Serious Difficulties'

China's top diplomat told the Philippines on Wednesday to "act with caution" after the United States treaty ally's concerted pushback against Beijing's territorial ambitions led to clashes in the South China Sea earlier this month.

Wang Yi, China's foreign minister and the Communist Party's foreign policy chief, told Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo that relations between the two countries were facing "serious difficulties." Manila, Wang said, was the "root cause."

The United States and at least a dozen other governments have condemned dangerous maneuvers by China's coast guard vessels seeking to block Philippine supply boats around contested territories in the Spratly Islands archipelago, all of which fall within the Philippines' exclusive fishing zone.

In consecutive standoffs on December 9 and 10, large Chinese patrol ships fired water cannons, used unspecified sonic weapons, and collided with smaller Philippine boats delivering humanitarian supplies near Beijing-held Scarborough Shoal on the first day and at Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal on the second.

That same weekend, a so-called "Christmas convoy" comprised of hundreds of Philippine volunteers was forced to call off their stated mission of delivering messages of encouragement to front-line troops and fishermen after the Chinese navy sent a guided-missile destroyer to follow their ships, the organizer said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Philippines has stood out among other South China Sea claimants for its readiness to stand up to its much larger neighbor, which claims upward of 90 percent of the resource-rich waters via its stated "historical right" to the 250 or so islands, reefs, banks and atolls in the area.

Manila is backed in part by a decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington, which is obliged to intervene if Philippine forces come under an "armed attack," including in the South China Sea.

Beijing, which snatched Scarborough Shoal from Manila's hands in a naval standoff 11 years ago, despite the treaty, has warned that Marcos' harder line is foolhardy.

The Philippines' "repeated provocations that undermine China's legitimate and lawful rights and interests" were to blame for the tensions, said Wang, according to a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"The bilateral relationship is now at a crossroads. Where it will go depends on what choice will be made. The Philippines must act with caution," he said, adding that China was prepared to resolve differences through dialogue.

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

On Thursday, Manila's foreign affairs department acknowledged the talks in a brief statement.

"We had a frank and candid exchange and ended our call with a clearer understanding of our respective positions on a number of issues. We both noted the importance of dialogue in addressing these issues," said Philippine Foreign Secretary Manalo.

China's Foreign Ministry said the Philippines initiated Wednesday's call.

Over the weekend, Marcos told Japanese media that the Philippines needed a "paradigm shift" that could involve more communication with "the rest of the world" about Manila's plight in the South China Sea.

Cheloy Garafil, his presidential spokesperson, said on Tuesday that "traditional methods of diplomacy" had yielded "very little progress" over the years.

Marcos, however, stressed that he did not seek confrontation, rebuffing calls from senior lawmakers to expel Huang Xilian, China's ambassador in Manila this week.

"He's the ambassador of China. So, he will always take the Chinese position," Marcos said on Monday during his visit to Tokyo. "That doesn't serve any purpose for us to lose our temper or to overreact. I think Ambassador Huang is just doing his job."