The Philippines has dismissed China's claim that it drove away a Philippine Gunboat near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, calling it "Beijing's propaganda." The Chinese Coast Guard said that a Philippine Navy gunboat intruded into China's waters near the Scarborough Shoal, but the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines denied the incident. Both countries claim sovereignty over the shoal, which China seized in 2012. This incident further deteriorates the relationship between the two nations, with a Beijing-based think tank accusing the Philippines of "stirring up" the situation in the sea.

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