Beijing left furious as Philippines accused of 'crossing the red line' by mocking Xi Jinping with cartoon images in latest row in South China Sea dispute

China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all claim to have territorial rights to the South China Sea.

Beijing's expansive “nine-dash line” outlining the waters it claims to have a right to overlap with other countries' exclusive economic zones. China has continued to exploit the waters despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling rejecting its claim to the area.

Amid the ongoing diplomatic row, Beijing has been left incensed by an image shared online by Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela.

The pictured showed Mr Tarriela giving a speech with a presentation visible in the background.

The presentation slide on display had the heading "why China remains to be bully?" and included three AI generated comical images of President Xi underneath it.

Beijing's embassy in the Philippines slammed the cartoon-like images , lambasting the country for "attacking and smearing Chinese leaders".

In a statement the embassy said the move "constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity" and the images were "blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line".

"In the face of Tarriela’s malicious provocations, we must ask: as a spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard, do his smears and slanders against China and its leader represent the stance of the Philippine government?,” the embassy said.

"China expresses strong indignation and strongly deplores this, and has lodged solemn representations with the Malacañang Palace, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine Coast Guard."

It added: "China once again reiterates that China and the Philippines should choose peace over conflict, dialogue over confrontation, and cooperation over tension."

Hitting back at the outrage from Beijing, Mr Tarriela accused China of "an attempt to deflect from the core issue".

Using the Philippines name for the contested waters, he criticised "China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea".

He said: "If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations — often through legitimate public discourse or even satire — it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed."

Earlier this week the Philippines and Japan signed two defence pacts aimed at combatting China's attempts to impose its authority within the region.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said the deal would help to boost Manila’s naval capabilities and would see greater cooperation on military exercises. It would also allow more defence equipment to be provided tax-free.

"We both recognised the value of promoting the rule of law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight, especially in the South China Sea," Lazaro added.

His Japanese counter-part, Toshimitsu Motegi, said the two countries were united in "continuing to oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China seas".