Manila: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has banned his cabinet from speaking publicly on the South China Sea dispute, as key ministers are engaged in a war of words with Beijing.
Tensions over the waterway between Manila and Beijing - which China claims almost exclusively - erupted in March when hundreds of Chinese boats were spotted inside the Philippines' Special Economic Zone.
While Duterte has been reluctant to confront China on the issue, his foreign and defense secretaries have repeatedly criticized Beijing for its refusal to withdraw ships from disputed waters.
Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin tweeted to demand Chinese ships leave the area.
His online swearing rebuke from Beijing and Loxin later apologized to his Chinese counterpart.
Using the local name for the sea, Duterte said in a recorded speech late Monday, "This is my command to the cabinet now ... refraining from discussing with anyone on this West Philippine Sea (issue). ). "
"If we have to talk, we only talk among us," Duterte told several cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Delphine Lorenzana, who previously described the presence of Chinese boats as "intrusive".
Duterte said that presidential spokesman Harry Roque was given permission to address the issue publicly.
China has ignored a 2016 international tribunal's decision that declared its historic claim over much of the South China Sea baseless.
Duterte has set aside the ruling in exchange for trade and investment promises from China, which critics say have not materialized on a large scale.
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