Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press conference that the Philippine allegations were “groundless and slanderous”. Wang expressed concern over the statements, saying they sought “to smear China’s image and mislead the international community”. He urged Manila to stop “spreading false information” and “face the facts in a responsible manner”. “We call on the Philippines to return to dialogue and negotiation to properly resolve maritime disputes,” the spokesperson said. Philippine authorities said on Saturday that they had prevented the Chinese coastguard from building an artificial island on a reef near Sabina Shoal, known as Escoda to Filipinos and Xianbin Jiao to the Chinese. A spokesman for the island nation said the BRP Teresa Magbanua ship had been in the waters around Sabina for 26 days to deter “illegal activities” by China. Sabina Shoal lies in the Spratly archipelago, about 123 nautical miles west of Palawan, and is claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. In recent months, there have been increasing confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, particularly around Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino fishermen operate. Philippine authorities argue that the shoals are within their 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometre) exclusive economic zone, which under international law gives them the right to exploit resources even if the waters are considered international. Beijing cites historical reasons for its claim to almost the entire South China Sea, which accounts for about 30 percent of global trade and holds 12 percent of the world’s fisheries as well as oil and gas deposits. Read Also: AI diz que Pequim persegue alunos chineses no estrangeiro por ativismo (Portuguese version)