Philippine calls for Chinese diplomats to be expelled for disinformation

The Philippine national security council on Friday called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled from the country for what it called a malicious disinformation campaign that had breached local laws and diplomatic protocols.

In a statement, the council said the Chinese embassy's actions "should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty". It was referring to a report of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a senior military official discussing a dispute over the South China Sea.

China's embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Writing by Martin Petty)