The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines says Beijing could "easily win" should it use force in the region but instead chooses peace, remarks that have drawn sharp criticism from Manila and calls for diplomatic restraint. The war of words came as tension over the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea rises, with Beijing repeatedly driving away Philippine aircraft over the shoal in recent months, most recently about two weeks ago, while accusing Manila of violating Chinese airspace. Ambassador Jing Quan also pushed back against China being labelled a "troublemaker" when speaking to the media on the sidelines of a conference on the South China Sea in Quezon City in the Philippines. Will Batanes become the next South China Sea flashpoint? "Those groundless accusations against China try to hype up the false narrative theory, try to incite that kind of hatred between the two countries. Who every day [tries] to always create some new problems, incidents that lead two sides to confrontation? Who's the troublemaker?