OMM Newsroom
The Philippines and China exchanged sharp remarks after Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan said Beijing could “easily win” a confrontation with Manila if it chose to use force, while adding that China would not do so because “we love peace.”
On Thursday, the Philippine government rebuked Jing, describing his comments as a “thinly veiled threat” of force. He was responding to Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who had called China a regional “troublemaker.”
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Jing had shown a “poor choice of words” that was “hardly helpful” amid complicated bilateral relations, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that Jing’s remarks “sound very much like a threat” and warranted a discussion with the ambassador.
At a regular briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing’s position remained unchanged. China’s position on improving and growing ties with the Philippines was clear, she said, adding that Beijing hoped Manila would have a “full and accurate understanding” of it.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said Jing had been selectively quoted and called the Philippine response an “over-interpretation.”
China and the Philippines have repeatedly clashed over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea, including areas that Manila says lie within its exclusive economic zone.
