With the said meeting caused by his remarks last week, which was viewed as a threat by Filipino officials.
On Monday, October 19, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan.
There she conveyed the Philippines’ serious concern and strong objection to his public statement, specifically his remarks to reporters, where he said: “If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace, and in this region, we enjoy the peace.”
Lazaro told the Ambassador in the said meeting that the statement was “provocative and unacceptable,” adding that it does not contribute to creating understanding.
The DFA also noted that the official stressed that such language “aggravates an already sensitive bilateral atmosphere,” which also undermines the shared efforts of both countries to build mutual understanding and cooperation.
“It is not the place of a foreign mission to publicly criticize or taunt Philippine officials and legislators who are acting within their mandates. As a democracy, the Philippines values freedom of expression and a plurality of voices, and it will not accept attempts by a foreign envoy to intimidate those who exercise them,” the Foreign Affairs department stood their ground.
Moreover, Lazaro also emphasized during the meeting that sensitive issues are best addressed through established diplomatic channels and bilateral mechanisms, which preserve space for dialogue and engagement.
“The Department remains committed to candid dialogue and constructive engagement, in line with its mandate and the direction of the President. It will keep open lines of communication with China and work to stabilize bilateral relations, especially in non-sensitive areas, while firmly upholding the country’s consistent positions on important issues,” the DFA continued.
To conclude, they also expressed that they reserve the right to take further diplomatic action “as it deems necessary.”
Meanwhile, for his part, Ambassador Jing Quan said in his statement that his key point is “separate” regarding the handling of China-Philippines relations.
“That means, adopt a differentiated approach to handle the problems of various sectors, based on their own merits instead of linking one to another. We should enhance dialogue, manage differences and deepen cooperation, create more good stories, good news. Let the good aspects prevail over bad ones. Otherwise we may easily fall into the situation of countermeasures and retaliation,” he said.
He also did not agree that his message was a thinly veiled “threat”.
For him, “What is (a) threat? If you don’t follow me, I will hurt you. This is (a) threat. But my point is despite our capacity, we don’t have the intention to use force. Because we are friends and close neighbors. There is no need to resort to force.”
The ambassador also said that peace is hard-won in this region and it should be cherised. “This is not called a ‘threat,’ but the effort to uphold peace,” he stressed.
He also claimed that China exercised “great restraint” on maritime issues and the country “should not take it as weakness, and further challenge our patience regardless of boundary and bottom line.”
“We hope the Philippine side will fully and accurately understand our position and views, and avoid selective quotation, over-interpretation and over-reaction,” he added.
The Chinese side also said that they fully agree that “the business of diplomacy requires tact and restraint in order to create space for discourse, dialogue and engagement.”
He also brought up several events that occurred within the past years and mentioned the likes of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela.
The Ambassador also asked: “The Philippine side has expressed the wish to reset our bilateral relations several times. What’s exactly the China policy of the Philippines? What has been done on the Philippine side? When bad things keep occurring and really hurting China-Philippines relations, where is the diplomatic manner the Philippines keeps talking about?”
The Chinese Embassy also said: “No one should expect the Chinese Embassy to keep silent in the face of smear and attack against China. Our bilateral relations are at a very sensitive and complicated juncture.”
“We urge the Philippine side to earnestly respect China’s core interests and concerns, take necessary measures immediately to restrain those anti-China politicians and ill-intentioned forces from dragging our bilateral relations into the dangerous situation of confrontation,” they concluded.
