MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese embassy continued to lash out at Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman, for allegedly spreading false narratives and claimed to be “relentlessly attacking and smearing” Beijing.
“China firmly opposes and strongly condemns such kind of words and actions. We have firmly responded and made serious démarches to the Philippine side in both Beijing and Manila,” Embassy spokesman Li Jingpeng said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Over the past several years, Tarriela has repeatedly made defamatory remarks against China, distorted facts, misled the public, and even openly lied, seriously undermining China–Philippines relations and poisoning public opinion in the Philippines toward China,” the embassy added.
Among the issues Beijing’s mission pointed out was Tarriela’s presentation at a university on Jan. 14, where they claimed the spokesman was attacking and smearing Chinese president Xi Jinping.
“If people like Tarriela continue to spread disinformation and distorted narratives unchecked, even the strongest diplomatic efforts to stabilize bilateral relations will be undermined, and even more development opportunities will be lost for the Philippines,” the Chinese embassy said.
“People like Tarriela often claim that the Philippines is a democracy and values freedom of speech. Then why can’t they have normal debates with us? Some say they are disrespected, yet they show no respect to others,” they added.
The embassy will later claim that China has always helped the Philippines with “sincerity and goodwill”.
“Neighbors should respect each other, learn from each other, and support each other. In recent years, China has actively supported infrastructure development in the Philippines, including donating the Binondo–Intramuros Bridge in Manila and the Bucana Bridge in Davao, which have significantly eased local traffic. More projects such as the Davao–Samal Bridge are under construction,” the embassy said.
“Think about it: if China were truly “bullying” the Philippines or seeking to resolve disputes by force, would the situation at sea look like it does today? Would the grounded Philippine warship still be receiving resupply? China has exercised the greatest restraint and patience because we do not want to damage longstanding relations with our neighbors. Any other major country would not have been nearly as restrained,” it said.
Opposition Akbayan party-list on Tuesday called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to temporarily suspend the 14-day visa free entry granted to citizens of China, following its embassy’s “blatant intereference in Philippine internal affairs and its repeated attacks” against Philippine public officials.
Akbayan’s call was made after very public exchanges between Beijing’s mission and the country’s officials, which led to 15 senators crossing party lines to condemn hostile statements from the embassy,
“Why are we rewarding a rude foreign entity that openly attacks our officials and peddles fake news about our beloved West Philippine Sea with visa-free holidays?” Akbayan president and Atin Ito co-convenor Rafaela David said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Filipinos have always distinguished between peoples and governments. Our issue is not with the Chinese people, but with an oppressive regime and an embassy that behaves as if it is above basic diplomatic norms.” she added.
David said that their call was anchored on “accountability and respect” between the two states.
“We stand in solidarity with ordinary Chinese citizens who, like Filipinos, are also familiar with the oppression of authoritarian regimes. This call is directed at their government, particularly the Chinese Embassy’s despicable conduct here in Manila,” the Akbayan president said.
“China must understand that harassment will be met with consequences, and that the Philippines is serious about defending its sovereignty,” she added.
According to the DFA, the 14-day visa-free entry for Chinese citizens started last Jan. 16, 2026.
