Metro Manila, Philippines – The Chinese embassy turned down suggestions to impose sanctions against some Philippine lawmakers following intense verbal exchanges between Beijing’s diplomatic mission and Manila’s officials.
“It’s not our option. At least not now,” Ji Lingpeng, the embassy spokesperson, said in a Facebook post on Sunday, Feb. 15.
The embassy said proposed penalties were prohibiting them and their families from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, freezing their property in China, and barring Chinese citizens and institutions from doing business with them.
It said these were seen in the comment section of social media posts related to the heated debate between the embassy and the Filipino officials.
Ji said no one should be silenced.
“This is a debate. They have the freedom to express their views, and we have the freedom to respond,” the spokesperson said.
“Diplomacy is based on reciprocity. Words for words, actions for actions,” he said.
On Feb. 9, the Senate adopted a resolution condemning the Chinese embassy’s public statements against Filipino officials.
Beijing strongly reacted to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela‘s use of caricatures of Chinese President Xi Jinping at an academic event. But the embassy also directed statements against some lawmakers and officials, as well as institutions like the PCG and the National Maritime Council, intensifying sharp exchanges.
\“Those who think they can pressure China through statements, resolutions, or endless complaints underestimate us. That approach simply does not work,” Ji said.
In a previous statement, he dismissed the resolution as a “political stunt” and accused senators of lacking knowledge of diplomacy.
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Amid the political tensions, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier warned that declaring a foreign diplomat persona non grata is an “option of last resort,” as Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan said he would leave the country “immediately” if the president were to take such action.
DFA spokesperson for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva said the agency will continue to champion the country’s position in maritime issues through the effective use of diplomacy to “facilitate responsible and principled approaches that lead to positive outcomes.”
