PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday he intends to meet with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan over the envoy’s remark that China can “easily win” by using force.
Quan has said in a statement that China would win easily a conflict against the Philippines. “If we want to use force, we will, but no... we love peace,” said Jing.
The president told reporters Quan’s statement “sounds like a threat.”
The Chinese Embassy reacted to Marcos’ statement with a Facebook video of Jing’s earlier interview, saying, “Is this a threat?”
Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing that no update has been made as to when the meeting will take place.
Reacting to the embassy’s statement that the Philippines-China relationship is at an “extremely sensitive stage,” Castro said Marcos hopes not to strain ties with Beijing.
“The government — and the President — may not foresee, or perhaps chooses not to acknowledge, that a point could be reached where the relationship between China and the Philippines takes a turn for the worse,” she said.
“For this reason, the President has directed that engagements with the Chinese leadership be conducted in a diplomatic manner; he does not wish for the relationship between the two nations to be damaged,” she said.
Castro noted that Manila’s relationship with Beijing regarding trade and investment is separate from the diplomatic engagements the president is having to protect the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea.
In an earlier speech at the 125th anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Marcos stressed that engaging with foreign partners remains vital to maintaining maritime security.
“We can work with the world while remaining firmly guided by our national interest and without losing sight of our duty to the Filipino people,” he said.
On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called out Jing for issuing a “thinly veiled threat of the use of force” in addressing the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China.
The DFA issued the statement minutes after the embassy posted Jing’s views on the current state of China-Philippines relations at the Second Diliman Dialogue.
The embassy pointed out that during an interview with the media at the venue, Jing reiterated that if the two sides were to become embroiled in any conflict or confrontation, China “may easily win, but we will not use force, as we love peace.”
The embassy also slammed PCG RAdm. Jay Tarriela’s alleged penchant for distorting facts, “shenanigans, irrelevant or far-fetched arguments, spreading lies and rumors, and taking things out of context.”
“It is truly unfortunate that there are people like Tarriela, who spend their days scheming to undermine China-Philippines relations, incite confrontation and hatred, and promote precisely the outcome that should be avoided most: a war between China and the Philippines,” the embassy posted on X.
Reacting to the embassy’s statement, the DFA said the “business of diplomacy requires tact and restraint in order to create space necessary for discourse, dialogue and engagement, regardless of the disparity in positions or perspectives.”
“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.
Jing’s remarks drew a wave of angry comments from lawmakers on Friday.
“Let there be no doubt: Nobody in this world can bully the Philippines — whether through words or by force,” said Sen. Erwin Tulfo, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “Our sovereignty is not negotiable, our dignity is not for sale, and our resolve must never be mistaken for weakness.”
Tulfo said that while the Philippines remains a peace-loving democracy committed to international law, “we will not be subjugated.”
Sen. Risa Hontiveros denounced the remarks as an act of intimidation, characterizing the envoy’s language as “gray zone aggression in diplomatic form” intended to coerce the host nation while remaining just short of open conflict.
Hontiveros said the Philippine government should demand a formal retraction and apology from Beijing. If China does not comply, the administration must declare Jing a persona non grata.
“An ambassador who threatens his host country has crossed a line,” Hontiveros said. “Let it be clear to China that no threat will make us surrender what is rightfully ours. The Philippines has only done what every law-abiding member of the community of nations would do — defend our rights through legal and diplomatic means.”
She urged the government to bring the issue before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the United Nations General Assembly, emphasizing that threats against one sovereign state undermine the international legal order for all member nations.
In the House of Representatives, the Young Guns bloc rejected Jing’s claim that China loves peace despite his warning that it could easily defeat the Philippines by force.
“When a larger power tells a smaller nation that it could easily win if it chose force, it is not offering security. It is asserting dominance and expecting silence in return,” Deputy Speaker Francisco Paolo Ortega V said.
Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun said China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, including water-cannon attacks, ramming and blocking Philippine vessels, further undermined its claims of peaceful intentions.
“The Philippines has never asked China for mercy. We have asked only for compliance with Unclos and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” Khonghun said, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
Rep. Ernix Dionisio said China must stop harassing Filipino fishermen and coast guard personnel, and respect the arbitral ruling.
“Declaring that you will not use force after first advertising that you can easily win is not reassurance — it is a threat with a smile,” Dionisio said.
The bloc demanded a formal diplomatic protest and reaffirmed their support for the government’s defense of Philippine sovereign rights and the modernization of the country’s maritime and defense capabilities.
Rep, Zia Alonto Adiong said peace should be measured “by the presence of justice, the security of our fishermen and the freedom to exercise our rights within our own exclusive economic zone.”
Akbayan President Rafaela David challenged President Marcos to “send this arrogant, troll and chauvinistic Chinese ambassador packing. No foreign power or its representative has the right to threaten us, least of all on our own soil.”
David, who co-convenes the Atin Ito Coalition, said Jing’s continued presence in the country raised questions about the administration’s resolve to defend Philippine sovereignty.
“What is the President waiting for? Talk is cheap. Every minute this Chinese ambassador remains in the country after issuing such a threat is an insult to the Filipino people,” she said.
“The Filipino people will not be bullied into surrendering our rights and territories. The government must make clear that threats against our sovereignty have consequences. Send Ambassador Jing Quan home,” she said.
