Philippines summons China's envoy over remarks conveying 'threat'

MANILA: The Philippine foreign ministry summoned Beijing's ambassador to Manila on Monday (Oct 19) after he said China would "easily win" a conflict between the countries, with local senators calling for his expulsion.

Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro expressed to Ambassador Jing Quan the country's "serious concern and strong objection to his public statement of Oct 15, 2026, which conveyed a threat of the use of force", the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The row followed a series of incidents involving the militaries and coast guards of the two neighbours occurring in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Reacting to Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro's labelling Beijing a regional "troublemaker", Jing told reporters last week that Manila should "feel fortunate" it had a neighbour like China.

"If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force, and we love peace," he said after giving a speech at a school in Manila.

The comments sparked calls by politicians, including at least two sitting senators, for Manila to expel the envoy.

"The Department reserves the right to take further diplomatic action as it deems necessary," Monday's statement said, adding that Lazaro told Jing his comments were "provocative and unacceptable".

The Chinese Embassy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.