A Philippine politician has been criticized after he called his government’s decision to conduct scientific research with China in Benham Rise “careless and absurd.”

“Allowing Chinese to conduct a so-called scientific research over Philippine waters, even with participation of Filipinos, is careless and absurd,” Gary Alejano, the Magdalo Representative, was quoted as saying by news portal rappler.com. Holding a hostile attitude toward the joint research, he noted that cooperation is at the expense of Philippine national security.

Alejano’s remarks come amid a Chinese research vessel’s alleged arrival in the Philippines on Jan. 22. The vessel is expected to conduct scientific research with the University of the Philippines in Benham Rise, a project that was approved by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to Xinhua.

As a chief critic of Duterte, Alejano has been blasting the Philippines’ cooperation with China in Benham Rise, which was confirmed as part of the country’s continental shelf in 2012 by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS).

The unfriendly gesture has irritated Chinese media outlets and the public, who criticized him for hyping up tension between China and the Philippines. In a commentary released by Global Times on Thursday, Alejano’s claims were criticized as “finding quarrel in a straw,” as the two countries don’t have any dispute over Benham Rise.

China has reiterated its stance on Benham Rise on many occasions, noting in a press briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2017 that the Philippines can carry out exploration and development of natural resources in the region, but that does not mean it can claim Benham Rise as its own territory.

China’s stance has also been shared by the Philippines, as its Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told ABS-CBN News in January that the Philippines has sovereign rights, but not sovereignty over Benham Rise.

“Filipinos can’t conduct research in Benham Rise without China’s help, while China is the only country that is qualified to do so according to fixed guidelines already set by our government,” Roque was quoted as saying by rappler.com on Tuesday.

Some Chinese experts explained that Alejano’s true intention is to hype up the two nations’ territorial dispute over the South China Sea, which has been dealt with properly since Duterte became the president.

“China and the Philippines have already made consensus on their territorial dispute in the South China Sea, and will not take any actions that may escalate the tension. This cooperation shows that both nations are trying to figure out a better solution to tackle their dispute, which is good for regional stability,” said Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.