ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASIA GEOPOLITICS /DIPLOMACY | MANILA, Philippines: ‘Marcos Jr. can expel China envoy’
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15 senators file reso condemning ‘inappropriate statements’ from Chinese embassy vs. PH officials
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China embassy: No need for Senate resolution
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MANILA, Philippines — There is no need for a Senate resolution declaring the deputy spokesperson of the Chinese embassy persona non grata over the word war that has erupted with Philippine government officials, the embassy said yesterday.
President Marcos can simply declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata, embassy Counselor and Spokesman Ji Lingpeng said.
“As Ambassador, he bears responsibility for all words and actions of the Chinese embassy,” Ji said in a statement last night.
Ji added that if anyone wanted to declare any Chinese diplomat persona non grata, “please do include myself and the entire 12-member media affairs and public diplomacy team. As a team, we stay or leave, together.”
The Senate has suspended action on a resolution approved by 15 senators, calling for the declaration of Chinese embassy deputy spokesperson Wei Guo as persona non grata. Wei Guo is the director of the embassy’s media and public diplomacy section.“Ambassador Jing is appointed by President Xi Jinping and accepted by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the Philippines. There is but one person who has the authority to ask Ambassador Jing to leave, and that is President Marcos,” Ji said. “If he were to receive such notice from President Marcos, he would depart immediately.”
“But he would do so with immense pride and honor, knowing that through his actions, he has fulfilled the firm commitment a Chinese diplomat makes to his country,” Ji added, as he pointed out that the ambassador “had experienced many extremely difficult moments” in his previous diplomatic posting in the US.
Marcos,” Ji said. “If he were to receive such notice from President Marcos, he would depart immediately.”
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‘Clear and consistent’
House Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said the OCTA survey result was a reflection of public sentiment shaped partly by President Marcos’ firm but laws-based approach to defending the country’s territorial rights.
“President Marcos has been clear and consistent: we will defend what is ours, anchored on law and diplomacy,” Ortega said.
“For a small country, resolve matters,” Ortega said.
“Strength is not measured by size, but by the courage to stand firm and by our commitment to the rule of law. That is the realism President Marcos has shown,” Ortega pointed out.
The La Union lawmaker stressed that the West Philippine Sea issue is not an abstract geopolitical debate, but a daily struggle for Filipinos whose livelihoods depend on the country’s waters.
He emphasized that the Philippine position on the maritime issue with Beijing was not about being anti-China.
“This is not about being anti-any nation. This is about being pro-law, pro-sovereignty and pro-Filipino. We stand on the arbitral ruling and UNCLOS, not on force or intimidation,” Ortega said.
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“The message from the people is unmistakable. They expect their government to defend the nation’s territory, protect those on the frontlines and do so with dignity and discipline. That is exactly what the President is doing,” he pointed out.
But for Sen. Imee Marcos, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, officials should exercise restraint in public pronouncements concerning international affairs.
She said “reckless statements and intemperate rhetoric” can have dire impact on bilateral relations and on “our ability to protect national interest, particularly in sensitive areas such as the maritime domain.”
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