Philippines Summons China's Envoy Over 'Use of Force' Remarks

MANILA. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on Monday and conveyed Manila's serious concern and strong objection to remarks in which he said China could easily win if it chose to use force, Reuters reported. ABS-CBN News, reporting the same summons, said the department called the remarks provocative and unacceptable. Reuters said it had sought comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

A summons is a formal step beyond the public statement the department issued last week. It puts Manila's objection directly to the ambassador in person.

What the ambassador said

Jing made the remarks to reporters on Thursday, October 15, on the sidelines of the second Diliman Dialogues in Quezon City. He was answering Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who had called China a regional troublemaker a day earlier. Jing dismissed that label and said: "If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace."

He also said the Philippines should feel fortunate to have China as a neighbor. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela posted a video of the interview and condemned the remarks.

Manila pushes back

The Department of Foreign Affairs answered on Thursday night. It said Jing "had a poor choice of words that would seem to convey a thinly veiled threat of the use of force," and that the words were hardly helpful given the complicated ties between the two countries. It said diplomacy requires tact and restraint.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. backed that line on Friday. He said the remark sounded very much like a threat, that it was not diplomatic, and that it deserved a direct discussion with the ambassador. The Chinese Embassy answered that Jing had been selectively quoted and that Manila had overinterpreted his words. It said ties were at an extremely sensitive stage and urged the department to act responsibly.

A weekend of dares

The row widened over the weekend. Senators in the majority bloc discussed a resolution condemning the remarks. Senator JV Ejercito called Jing rude, hostile and undiplomatic, and said Beijing should replace him. Other lawmakers raised declaring the ambassador persona non grata.

The embassy answered on social media on Saturday. It told lawmakers talking about persona non grata to "just do it" and added: "Otherwise, STOP BLUFFING." China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning later said Beijing was fed up with repeated threats against its embassy. On Sunday the embassy sounded softer, saying China was still willing to improve relations through dialogue.

The wider dispute

The argument sits on top of a long dispute at sea. China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines calls the waters inside its exclusive economic zone the West Philippine Sea, and a 2016 arbitral award backed Manila's rights there. Beijing does not accept that ruling.

Jing, a veteran of United States and China diplomacy, arrived in Manila on December 6, 2025, and presented his credentials to Marcos on December 11, 2025. Since then, the embassy's public statements have grown sharper.

There was no immediate public response from the Chinese Embassy to Monday's summons in the first reports. Neither side has published more of what was said in the meeting.