Second Senate resolution seeking China ambassador's expulsion filed
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros has formally urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata, or else ask Beijing to recall him.
Hers is the second Senate resolution in two days seeking action on the diplomat over his remark that China “may easily win” if it used force.
Senate Resolution 746, filed Tuesday, October 20, comes a day after a similar measure by Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Monday.
While Tulfo’s resolution asks the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) “to recommend to the appropriate authorities” that Jing be declared persona non grata, Hontiveros' resolution wants the Senate “to urge the President of the Philippines to declare Ambassador Jing Quan of the People’s Republic of China persona non grata, or, in the alternative, to request his recall.”
The Senate does not have the power to expel a foreign diplomat or declare an envoy persona non grata. This action can be done only by the executive branch, specifically the president or the DFA.
Jing made the remark in question at a forum on October 15. He was asked about Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. calling China a regional “troublemaker.”
“If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force,” he said, adding that the Philippines should feel fortunate to have China as a neighbor.
The DFA said the remark seemed to convey a “thinly veiled threat of the use of force.” Later, Marcos said he would be seeking a discussion with the ambassador, as it “sounds very much to me like a threat.”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro summoned Jing on Monday to convey Manila’s strong objection to his words. The same day, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro appeared to be toning down the Palace's reaction and said Marcos “would not want" a persona non grata tag against any foreign envoy in the country.
Jing has denied that his remarks were a threat and has accused the Philippine side of taking his words out of context.
Hontiveros’ resolution acknowledges “the primacy of the President in the conduct of the nation’s foreign affairs.” It says the Senate “nevertheless wishes to express its disapproval of the undiplomatic conduct of a foreign envoy.”
It argues that “Ambassador Jing’s claim of restraint is belied by the conduct of the Chinese government in the West Philippine Sea" with its ships and aerial assets persistently harassing those of the Philippines'.
“This is not the first time the Chinese government’s words have failed to align with its actions,” the resolution says. It cites a July video by state-owned China Daily “depicting a monkey in a barong taking orders from the United States and Japan.”
Tulfo, for his part, said in an interview with reporters on Monday: “Why wait for persona non grata? Just go home.”
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