The Philippines summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on Oct. 19 to protest remarks suggesting Beijing could easily defeat the country militarily.
Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro conveyed the Philippine government’s “serious concern and strong objection” to Jing’s remarks, which the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said conveyed “a threat of the use of force.”
Jing made the remarks on Oct. 15 while speaking to reporters at a forum in Quezon City.
Responding to Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s description of China as a regional “troublemaker,” Jing criticized it as “nonsense.”
“We should feel fortunate enough that you have a neighbor like China in this region. If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force, and we love peace,” Jing said.
Lazaro described the statement as “provocative and unacceptable,” saying it aggravated already strained relations.
The DFA also said foreign diplomats had no place publicly criticizing or taunting Philippine officials and lawmakers acting within their mandates.
The department said it would not accept attempts to intimidate those officials and reserved the right to take further diplomatic action.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Oct. 16 that Jing’s statement “sounds very much to me like a threat” and was not diplomatic.
He called for a discussion with the ambassador to clarify his meaning.
During the Oct. 19 meeting, Jing disputed Manila’s interpretation and lodged his own protest against Philippine officials, including Teodoro and Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela, and lawmakers who are critical of China, according to the Chinese Embassy’s account.
He urged Manila to restrain such politicians—the same type of demand the DFA had rejected as interference with Philippine officials exercising their responsibilities.
Jing also criticized Manila’s positions on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory despite never having governed the self-governed island democracy.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning separately criticized Philippine politicians on Oct. 19, accusing them of attacking China.
The diplomatic confrontation comes amid repeated encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
A 2016 international arbitration tribunal rejected the legal basis for Beijing’s expansive historic-rights claims in the waterway, a ruling China refuses to recognize.
The Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally. Bilateral defense guidelines reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, aircraft, or public vessels—including Coast Guard vessels—in the South China Sea would invoke mutual defense commitments.
Philippine Senator Seeks Expulsion
Philippine Sen. Erwin Tulfo introduced Proposed Senate Resolution No. 739, urging the DFA to recommend that authorities declare Jing persona non grata, a diplomatic designation that could lead to his expulsion.
The proposal cites concerns about Philippine sovereignty, national dignity, and bilateral relations.
The presidential palace, however, said Marcos did not favor declaring foreign diplomatic representatives persona non grata, although the administration respected lawmakers’ positions.
Asked on Oct. 19 whether Jing should face such a declaration, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro deferred the question to the DFA and reiterated Marcos’s preference for resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.
The diplomatic dispute has not prompted any announced changes to Marcos’s planned trip to China for the November APEC summit, according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.
Asked on Oct. 19 whether Marcos would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the visit, Castro said she could not confirm a meeting.
