A screenshot of the photos showing vendors selling Chnese national flag Photo: Twitter account of Philippine media GMA News

Chinese experts said that criticism of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's close relationship with China due to some photos of vendors selling Chinese national flags is ungrounded and ridiculous.

They noted that relations will not be affected by some suspicious photos.

The remarks came after photos of four Filipino vendors selling Chinese national flags at the historic Luneta Park in Manila went viral. 

Displaying foreign flags in public is banned by the Philippine law except in some specific places like embassies, local media reported.  

The incident came days before the country celebrates its independence on Wednesday and caused some critics of Duterte's "pivot to China,"  the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported Monday.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday also condemned these suspicious photos. The embassy said in a statement on its Twitter account on Tuesday that "if it was done with good intentions to celebrate China-PH Friendship Day, you are welcome. However if it was done to undermine China-PH relations, we condemn it!"

"China-Philippines relations have been good and healthy for both governments and peoples," Luo Yongkun, an assistant research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

 He stressed that, according to available information, the incident was isolated and should not be over-interpreted. 

It will not affect the ongoing positive ties of the two countries, Luo said. 

The Philippine National Police Monday ordered an investigation into the reported sale of Chinese flags in Rizal Park in Manila. They said the photos were staged and could be the work of someone who wanted to get media mileage, The Philippine Star reported on Tuesday. 

Luneta Park, also known as Rizal Park, is an important site in the Philippines, where remains of national hero José Rizal are buried.