Philippines Condemns Anti-China Casket Protest in Manila
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- Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said it does not condone threats of violence against foreign officials after five caskets with anti-China messages were found abandoned across Manila before dawn on Aug 7, including one outside the Chinese embassy.
- One casket bore photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan along with the word "greedy."
- China's embassy in Manila called the caskets a "political provocation," filed a solemn representation to the Philippine government, and urged authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
- Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng said the caskets sought to sow hostility between Filipinos and Chinese but would not undermine stable ties between the two countries.
- Philippine police discovered the caskets across the capital but have yet to identify the people responsible for the Aug 7 incident.
- The casket stunt came amid rising South China Sea tensions between Manila and Beijing, where the two countries have repeatedly clashed over disputed maritime features.
Why it matters: The Philippines' swift disavowal of the casket stunt — which targeted Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, and Ambassador Jing Quan with the word "greedy" — and Beijing's formal protest layer fresh diplomatic friction onto already-charged South China Sea disputes, with China pressing Manila to investigate while the Philippines tries to insulate the bilateral relationship from the provocation.
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