Stop playing with fire in South China Sea, says Chinese diplomat

Stop playing with fire in 

South China Sea,

says Chinese diplomat

Commenting on the South China Sea issue, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has urged the Philippines to return to a negotiated solution and some countries from outside the region to “stop playing with fire.”

A China Coast Guard ship (top) and a Philippine supply boat engaged in a 2014 stand-off in the South China Sea

Liu made the remarks in a signed article published by the Daily Telegraph on Friday.

Away from Britain’s focus on the forthcoming EU referendum, the article read, “a serious international situation is developing in the South China Sea region.”

There is now much discussion about whether China should accept the ruling of the South China Sea arbitration process, Liu noted in the op-ed.

Proponents of this idea claim that China’s rejection would “undermine” the “rule-based international system” and would put the peace and stability of the region “under immediate threat.”