President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his government yesterday protested remarks by a Chinese envoy, calling them "a thinly veiled threat of the use of force" in the latest flare-up in the two Asian countries' longstanding territorial dispute in the South China Sea. On the sidelines of a Manila forum on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan was asked by reporters to comment on Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr's remarks pointing to China as a "troublemaker" in the region. Jing said that characterization was "nonsense" and added that the Philippines should feel fortunate to have China as a neighbor.
In this photograph provided by the Malacanang Presidential Communications Office, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, right, salutes during awarding ceremonies at the 125th founding anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila yesterday.
Photo: Malacanang Presidential Communications Office via AP
"If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force and we love peace," Jing said. "In this region, we enjoy peace. Look at other regions: Ukraine, Gaza and even Venezuela."
When asked to comment on the Chinese ambassador's statement, Marcos said it sounded "very much to me like a threat and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made."
He added that he would like to understand what Jing exactly meant.
China and the Philippines have long clashed over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Tense confrontations at sea and heated verbal exchanges have escalated between Manila and Beijing in the past few years. China claims virtually the entire waterway, a key global trade route, as its sovereign territory. Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have separate claims to the waters.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a separate statement that it was "regrettable" that Jing "had a poor choice of words that would seem to convey a thinly veiled threat of the use of force, which is hardly helpful in the context of the complicated bilateral ties between the two nations."
"It is hoped that all diplomats accredited to the Philippines take greater care in the language used in public statements so as not to further erode mutual trust and confidence, nor derail the advancement of dialogue and constructive engagement," it said.
The Chinese embassy suggested that the Philippine foreign affairs department has taken Jing's statement out of context and employed "selective quotation and overinterpretation" of Jing's remarks.
"China-Philippines relations are currently at an extremely sensitive stage," the embassy said. "We urge the DFA to play a more responsible role in preventing such actions, thereby ensuring that China-Philippines relations are not pushed into a dangerous and uncertain situation."
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing's position on the bilateral relationship "is clear," adding that "we hope the Philippine side can understand it comprehensively and accurately."
Teodoro, one of the harshest critics in Asia of China's increasingly assertive actions, told Philippine radio station DZMM that Jing was clearly threatening the Philippines.
In June, the Chinese foreign affairs ministry announced that Teodoro and his family were banned from entering China, including Hong Kong and Macau, over what it described as "irresponsible remarks" he has made that undermined Beijing's interests.