Philippines rebukes China envoy Jing Quan over remarks on use of force
The Philippine foreign ministry called the ambassador’s wording a seeming threat. China’s embassy said its remarks had been selectively quoted and misinterpreted.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs rebuked Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on October 15 after he told reporters in Manila that China could easily win if it used force, while saying it would not do so. The ministry said his words seemed to convey a thinly veiled threat, sharpening a dispute between the two governments over what the envoy meant.
Jing made the remarks after a speech at a Manila school, AFP reported. He rejected Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s description of China as a regional troublemaker the previous day, calling it nonsense. Jing said China loved peace and would not choose force, despite claiming it could prevail in a confrontation.
How Manila and Beijing interpreted Jing Quan’s remarks
In a statement late on October 15, the foreign ministry called Jing’s choice of words poor and regrettable. The language was hardly helpful given the countries’ complicated relationship, it said, according to AFP. The ministry’s criticism concerned the implication of Jing’s wording, even as he said China would refrain from force.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela called the statement a direct threat. He argued that refraining from force against a country whose rights are being violated did not amount to peace, AFP reported. China’s embassy, which confirmed Jing’s remarks, accused Tarriela of taking them out of context and seeking to undermine bilateral ties.
In an October 16 statement, the embassy accused the foreign ministry of selective quotation and overinterpretation. It said diplomacy should reduce misunderstandings and prevent conflict. The embassy also said Jing had described the Philippines as a neighbor and friend with deep historical and cultural ties, and had called for stable relations.
South China Sea tensions behind the exchange
The exchange comes amid the countries’ long-running South China Sea dispute. AFP reported that an international ruling rejected China’s claim to most of the sea; Rappler reported that Beijing refuses to acknowledge the 2016 arbitral award. The disagreement over Jing’s language therefore arose against an existing dispute over maritime rights, rather than a new territorial claim.
The previous week, the Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese counterparts of obstructing a medical evacuation near a disputed shoal, according to AFP. Separately, Rappler reported that Philippine military officials rejected an embassy assertion that a lack of direct military communication channels had caused tensions. Those officials blamed actions by Chinese maritime forces instead.
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Sources and context
- DFA admonishes China envoy over ‘thinly veiled threat on use of force’Rappler (reporting by Bea Cupin)
- China says can ‘easily win’ confrontation with PhilippinesAgence France-Presse (AFP), carried by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.