Foreign correspondents in the Philippines condemn China

27/3/2024 20:30

        Foreign correspondents in Manila rejected on Wednesday a claim made by China that the Philippines had journalists manipulate videos taken during resupply missions in the South China Sea to make it look like a "victim".
        
        The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines "takes deep offence at the insinuation that the press is a 'troublemaker' and in cahoots with the government to forward a political agenda," it said in a statement.
        
        The statement was in response to a post by China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, on platform X on March 26.
        
        Hua was referring to the Philippines' routine mission to deliver supplies for its troops stationed on a grounded warship on the Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese coastguard vessels and Philippine ships have had frequent run-ins.
        
        FOCAP said it "strongly rejects and condemns the false, baseless claims" of Hua and the Chinese Embassy in Manila, which reposted the comments on platform X.