China says can 'easily win' confrontation with Philippines

China's ambassador to Manila has said Beijing could "easily win" a conflict with the Philippines, though it would never choose force, comments the archipelago nation said could be read as a "thinly veiled threat".



Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and Philippine and Chinese ships have engaged in repeated confrontations in recent years, some leading to collisions and injuries.



The ambassador's remarks came a day after Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro labelled Beijing a regional "troublemaker".



"We should feel fortunate enough that you have a neighbour like China in this region," Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan told local reporters in Manila on Thursday.



"If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force, and we love peace," he said after giving a speech at a school in Manila.



Jing added that the troublemaker label was "nonsense", while accusing Manila of harassing Chinese workers and teachers, without offering specific examples.