Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has warned China not to cross the “red line” in the South China Sea. Where stagnation continues between countries. Marcos said that if any Filipino citizen dies due to China’s deliberate actions, the Philippines will consider it as a stage of war and respond accordingly.

Marcos made such comments at a security summit in Singapore on Friday. Defense chiefs of different countries of the world also participated in this forum. BBC reported this information in a report on Saturday.

In response to such comments by the Philippine president, a Chinese military spokesman accused the Philippines of making “provocative” comments. The unnamed military spokesman told the BBC, “If someone accidentally wants to start a war, then I believe they are a belligerent country.” A few hours later, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said in a speech that what the Philippines is doing is dangerous .

There has been a long-standing standoff between China and the Philippines over South China Sea territory. However, in recent months, the stalemate between the two countries has turned into a confrontation.

Manila has alleged that Chinese surveillance ships have fired water cannons at Philippine boats and ships. But Beijing has said that they are protecting the sovereignty of their territory. Military analysts fear that rising tensions in the South China Sea could lead to a confrontation between Beijing and Washington. The United States has a security agreement with the Philippines. According to the agreement, Washington will come to the defense of the Southeast Asian country if Manila is attacked.

Washington says it will uphold US commitments to allies in the region. Last month, the United States held a summit with the Philippines and Japan to strengthen relations with the two countries. Meanwhile, the Philippines has also been increasing its military spending and buying missiles from India.

At Friday’s security summit, the Philippine president also noted that Filipino citizens have been injured in recent clashes. But no one was killed. He warned that the situation would worsen if someone was killed. He also objected to the sending of an intermediate-range missile system to the Philippines during recent joint military exercises, saying it posed a real threat to regional security. Marcos said if this situation continues, there will be division in the region. Conflict will arise and this will destroy stability.