China sanctions former Filipino lawmaker who defended Philippines' South China Sea claims

CHINA sanctioned a former Filipino lawmaker Tuesday over perceived “anti-China” positions, including his authorship of bills that marked out the Philippines’ territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea.

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Francis Tolentino, who has just finished serving his term as majority leader of the Philippine Senate, is prohibited from entering China as well as the territories of Hong Kong and Macao, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"For some time, some anti-China politicians in the Philippines have adopted a series of malicious words and deeds on issues related to China for their own self-ish interests, which have harmed China's interests and undermined China-Philippines relations," said the statement. "The Chinese government is determined to defend its national sovereignty, security and development interests."