China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Tuesday blamed the Philippine military and coast guard for deliberate provocations in the South China Sea, after Philippine personnel from an illegally grounded vessel aggressively harassed a small China Coast Guard patrol boat near China's Ren'ai Jiao.

At a regular news briefing, Lin said every time China and the Philippines were likely to engage in communication, and every time there was an occasion of diplomatic importance in the region, some forces used maritime-related issues to provoke and stir up trouble.

"I believe that all of us are very clear about the rights and wrongs of the matter and who is the one behind," he added.