Philippines protests Chinese envoy's remarks, calling them a 'thinly veiled threat'

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his government on Friday protested remarks by China’s ambassador to Manila, calling them “a thinly veiled threat of the use of force” in the latest flare up in the two Asian countries' longstanding territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

On the sidelines of a Manila forum on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan was asked by reporters to comment on Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr .’s remarks pointing to China as a “troublemaker” in the region. Jing said that characterization was “nonsense” and added the Philippines should feel fortunate to have China as a neighbor.

“If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force and we love peace,” Jing said. “In this region, we enjoy peace. Look at other regions: Ukraine, Gaza and even Venezuela.”

When asked to comment on the Chinese ambassador’s statement, Marcos said it sounded “very much to me like a threat and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made." He added that he would like to understand what Jing exactly meant.

China and the Philippines have long clashed over territorial disputes in the South China Sea . Tense confrontations at sea and heated verbal exchanges have escalated between Manila and Beijing in recent years.

China claims virtually the entire waterway, a key global trade route, as its sovereign territory. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have separate claims to the waters.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said in a separate statement that it was “regrettable” that Jing “had a poor choice of words that would seem to convey a thinly veiled threat of the use of force which is hardly helpful in the context of the complicated bilateral ties between the Philippines and China.”

“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.

The Chinese Embassy suggested that the Philippine foreign affairs department has taken Jing’s statement out of context and employed “selective quotation and overinterpretation” of Jing's remarks.

“China-Philippines relations are currently at an extremely sensitive stage," the embassy said. "We urge the DFA to play a more responsible role in preventing such actions, thereby ensuring that China-Philippines relations are not pushed into a dangerous and uncertain situation.”

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing’s position on the bilateral relationship “is clear,” adding that “we hope the Philippine side can understand it comprehensively and accurately.”

Teodoro, one of the harshest critics in Asia of China’s increasingly assertive actions, told Philippine radio station DZMM that Jing was clearly threatening the Philippines.

In June, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing announced that Teodoro and his family were banned from entering China , including Hong Kong and Macao, over what it described as “irresponsible remarks” he has made that undermined Beijing’s interests.

Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing contributed to this report.