China's Christmas Warning to US Ally: Stop 'Wrong Course'

China told the Philippines Monday to stop involving extra-regional powers in the neighboring countries' escalating territorial feud in the South China Sea .

"We hope the Philippines will stop pursuing the wrong course at once," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at that day's regular press conference.

The Philippines's resolve to supply forces stationed at contested features in the sea, and China's determination to blockade these missions, resulted in collisions, dangerous maneuvers, and water cannon and alleged sonic weapon attacks by Chinese forces on December 9-10, drawing Western condemnation, with Washington underscoring its commitment to its 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.

"China will not weaken in its resolve to protect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Mao said. She labeled the Philippine supply missions to disputed Second Thomas Shoal "provocations" and said Manila was "drawing in forces outside the region into those issues."

Mao called on the Philippines to "properly handle" the maritime dispute through "negotiation and consultation."

Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese embassy in the Philippines with a request for comment.

China claims dominion over most of the energy-rich South China Sea, despite an international tribunal's 2016 ruling that the claims violate the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China has repeatedly accused its Southeast Asian neighbor of acting as a pawn in Washington 's efforts to destabilize the region and appealed to Manila to return to one-on-one talks.

Also on Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar told local media the Philippines was making preparations for more joint patrols next year with allied countries in the West Philippine Sea, Manila's term for the parts of the South China Sea lying within its EEZ.

He called the patrols a "paradigm shift" in the Philippines pushback against China's assertiveness.

"The attempt by the Philippines to conduct multilateral patrols indicates that the country believes its comprehensive strength, including in the economic and military fields, is weaker than that of China, Chinese state-backed outlet the Global Times on Monday quoted Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University," saying.

The Philippines is involving "external powers" because it doesn't believe it stands a chance if it "provokes China alone," Gu added.

Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., previously told Newsweek the Philippines' international drills in its backyard has so far paid off.

"The multilateral patrols are part and parcel of a much larger, coherent Philippine strategy of patrolling its own waters and resupplying or repairing its facility at Second Thomas Shoal despite Chinese pressure. So far that strategy has been quite effective and left China unable to effectively respond," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo that the bilateral relationship was " at a crossroads ," according to a Chinese readout of the call.