Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

The White Paper issued by the State Council Information Office confirming China's stance on the South China Sea issue, has demonstrated repeated moves by the Philippines to complicate disputes.

Since the 1980s, the Philippines has made several attempts to legitimize its illegal occupation of islands and reefs in China's Nansha Islands. The country has intensified its infringement of China's maritime rights and interests.

Since the 1970s, the Philippines has intruded in maritime areas belonging to China such as Liyue Tan and Zhongxiao Tan to carry out exploratory oil and gas drilling. Since 2000, the Philippines has expanded the areas for bidding, intruding into larger areas of China's Nansha Islands.

The Philippines also has an eye on China's Huangyan Dao and has attempted to illegally occupy it.