The Philippines rebukes China over travel ban on Kalayaan officials

Beijing has defended its travel ban on more than a dozen Philippine municipal officials that Manila said could harm ties between the two countries, after a diplomatic spat took yet another retaliatory turn. Angelica Escalona, spokeswoman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that while Beijing had the right to ban the officials from entering China, its decision to do so was not helpful. “While preventing the entry of foreign nationals into their territory is a...