China blames Philippines for 'stirring up trouble'AL JAZEERA Victor Gao, director of the China National Association of International Studies and the arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruling over the South China Sea. China considers bilateral talks with the other claimants the only way to address the South China Sea disputes. China blamed the Philippines for stirring up trouble and issued a policy paper Wednesday calling the islands in the South China Sea its "inherent territory'' a day after an international tribunal said China had no legal basis for its expansive claims. In the new policy paper, China asserts its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters and opposes other countries' ``illegal claims and occupation.'' The Philippines sought arbitration from an international tribunal on several issues related to its territorial disputes with China.

Source: Stuff July 13, 2016 03:22 UTC