Beijing announces sanctions against Philippine senator

Beijing announced its decision on Tuesday to impose sanctions against former Philippine senator Francis Tolentino.

The sanctions were imposed for "his egregious conduct on China-related issues" and prohibited him from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a brief statement.

"For quite some time, driven by selfish interests, a handful of anti-China politicians in the Philippines have made malicious remarks and moves on issues related to China that are detrimental to China’s interests and China-Philippines relations," according to the statement.

The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, the spokesperson said.