Philippine Senator Files to Expel Chinese Ambassador — SkimNews
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- Senator Erwin Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 739 seeking to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata over remarks that China could "easily win" a conflict against the Philippines.
- Ambassador Jing Quan said at an October 16 Philippines-China Studies Center event in Quezon City that "if we want to use force, we may easily win," responding to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro's prior-day call of China the lone "troublemaker" in Southeast Asia.
- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters the ambassador's comment "sounds very much like a threat," and the DFA summoned Jing, with Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro labeling the remarks "provocative and unacceptable" and warning they "aggravate an already sensitive bilateral atmosphere."
- The Chinese Embassy posted on Facebook that it is "fed up with these old and low tricks" and dared Manila to follow through, implying reciprocal expulsion of the Philippine ambassador to Beijing.
- Jing Quan was previously summoned in July after a Philippine marine was injured in a China Coast Guard clash at Second Thomas Shoal, part of a string of confrontations involving ramming and water-cannon tactics in Philippine-claimed South China Sea areas.
- The DFA is unlikely to declare Jing persona non grata, but the Senate's pursuit of the issue and Beijing's undiplomatic response reflect how sharply China-Philippines relations have deteriorated.
Why it matters: The exchange shows routine diplomatic channels between Manila and Beijing have broken down over South China Sea flashpoints like Second Thomas Shoal. A senator's resolution, a presidential "threat" characterization, and the Chinese Embassy's open dare to "do it quickly" escalate a fight that previously stayed between foreign ministries into the legislative arena — even though the DFA is unlikely to actually expel the envoy.
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