China dismisses Philippine education concerns as 'political provocation'

China has accused the Philippines of a "serious political provocation" over concerns about Chinese state influence in the country's education programmes, amid escalating maritime disputes.

China accused the Philippines ​of an "extremely serious political provocation" ​on Tuesday, after the southeast ‌Asian nation ​flagged concerns that the Asian giant's state-linked institutions were influencing domestic education programmes. The exchange comes as ‌tension grows between between the capitals over repeated maritime disputes and confrontations in the busy South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely as its ‌own, despite overlapping claims by regional countries.

Defending its oversight of ‌foreign state-backed academic and cultural exchange programmes, the Philippine defence department last week pointed to Beijing's national security law that compels cooperation with state intelligence agencies. Its statement was "filled with ⁠lies ​and malicious ⁠attacks", however, China's foreign ministry said in reply to questions on the matter from Reuters.

The ⁠ministry said a small group of people "recklessly hijacked and undermined China-Philippines relations", without identifying ​it. "A small group of anti-China forces in the Philippines, seeking political ⁠gain and attempting to cover up their country's maritime violations, are resorting to political manipulation ⁠and ​media distortion," it added.

In June, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro called China "wicked", prompting Beijing to accuse him of pulling a "stunt to ⁠serve his own political self-interest". Suspicions about China's activities in the Philippines ⁠have grown recently, ⁠with a former mayor, identified as a Chinese national with possible links to criminal syndicates, found guilty of human ‌trafficking last ‌year.