Beijing tells Manila to ‘stop lying’ after minister exposes South China Sea note

China has accused Philippine officials of “grandstanding and lying” after Manila’s defence secretary publicly read aloud a Chinese diplomat’s note on the South China Sea that the Philippine minister described as “coercion, bullying and aggression”. “We urge certain people in the Philippines to stop this grandstanding and lying, and to protect China-Philippine relations and the peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.