【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】
It's really funny, it's like a slap in the face, the Philippines again wants to make China "calm down".
According to the South China Morning Post on the 12th, after China imposed an entry ban on more than a dozen Philippine senators who had maliciously defamed the Chinese ambassador, the Philippine side turned the situation around and accused China of possibly damaging bilateral relations.
On Wednesday local time, the spokesperson for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Escalona, made a pretense of being composed, stating that although China has the right to prohibit relevant officials from entering, this decision is not beneficial to the development of bilateral relations.
She claimed, "Preventing foreign citizens from entering is a sovereign privilege of a country, but such actions are not conducive to fostering a good and active bilateral relationship, especially not conducive to resuming the people-to-people exchanges both sides have committed to promoting."
Villanueva, the new spokesperson for maritime affairs at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, also immediately echoed, claiming that the Philippines understands the responsibility of the Chinese embassy to respond, while at the same time "urging China to respond in a calm, professional manner, remembering that all diplomatic interactions should be based on mutual respect."
He also earnestly called on the Philippines to "continue to urge the Chinese embassy to make constructive statements, promote healthy dialogue, and promote the overall development of bilateral relations, despite major differences between the two sides."
In response, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines stated on Thursday that the embassy's statement "maintained China's national interests and dignity in a calm, professional, and constructive manner," and pointed out that healthy dialogue between China and the Philippines requires both sides to take a constructive attitude, "urging the Philippine side to issue a unified and responsible voice, hoping that (the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs) will truly play a constructive role in managing differences and promoting the overall development of bilateral relations."
The Chinese Embassy in Manila released a new statement on social media directly pointing out that some Philippine senators have repeatedly played old tricks, continuously introduced anti-China resolutions, attempting to label Chinese diplomats as "unwelcome persons," which is purely an act of provocation, bluffing, and posturing, and such behavior can't scare anyone at all.
Chinese Embassy statement screenshot
Spokesman Ji Lingpeng of the embassy issued a stern warning, saying that any substantial damage to diplomatic relations, even leading to a downgrade of diplomatic relations, would put millions of people at risk of unemployment. He questioned these senators whether they were ready to personally compensate for the income losses of these people, and denounced them for recklessly seeking popularity at the expense of others' interests.
"In serious diplomatic matters, the performance of some politicians is like playing house. Can't they be more mature? If they don't understand diplomatic rules, they can go learn, but spouting nonsense only reveals their baseless ignorance and arrogance."
Regarding the dissatisfaction of some Philippine legislators, another Chinese statement reiterated, "There is an old Chinese saying, do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire... This is the principle of reciprocity. You don't welcome us, we won't welcome you either; you have the freedom to attack us, we have the right to retaliate. If you continue to provoke, we will not hesitate to follow suit."
Last month, the so-called "Kalayaan" town under the jurisdiction of Palawan province in the Philippines, with a population of only 400 or so, once again staged a farce by passing a resolution to label Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan as a "person not welcome," accusing him of "violating diplomatic etiquette and insulting Filipino officials."
This town is located in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, and has repeatedly stirred up trouble in recent years. In 2023, it had previously labeled the then-Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian as a "person not welcome," and loudly criticized the Chinese Coast Guard's use of water cannons to drive away Philippine vessels in the Nansha Islands' Ren'ai Reef area.
On February 12th local time, the Chinese Embassy in Manila announced on social media that it had banned 16 local officials who had created the anti-China resolution from entering mainland China and Hong Kong and Macao.
The statement said, "Based on the principle of reciprocity, the relevant personnel who created the above resolution shall not enter."
According to an earlier report by the Philippine Star, after 16 Philippine officials signed the resolution concerning Chinese diplomatic personnel, the Philippine Senate also followed suit, claiming it was studying whether to declare Chinese embassy officials as "persons not welcome."
On the same day, the Chinese Embassy's spokesperson Ji Lingpeng strongly countered, advising Philippine politicians not to go through the trouble of making such a move, and instead directly declare the Chinese ambassador as a "person not welcome," while Chinese diplomats would continue to firmly defend national interests and counter all defamation against China.
He also reminded that only the President of the Philippines, Marcos, has the authority to request the ambassador's departure. If the ambassador receives a notice of departure from Marcos, he will "leave immediately with great pride and honor," putting into practice the firm commitment of a Chinese diplomat to his country.
Amid the escalating situation, the Philippine presidential office quickly stepped in to "cool things down." The press secretary of the Philippine presidential office, Claire Castro, said in a press briefing that Marcos explicitly refused to designate the Chinese ambassador as a "person not welcome."
Castro revealed that when she asked Marcos about the idea of the legislators, he did not let her finish asking, and immediately said "no" with certainty.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs also warned that designating Chinese diplomatic personnel as "persons not welcome" would lead to serious consequences, and this measure should only be used as a last resort when diplomatic relations severely deteriorate. It emphasized that this decision is significant and could trigger reciprocal measures or other countermeasures across various fields, and must not be done carelessly, but rather carefully weighed for its impact on the Philippines' future strategic interests.
At the same time, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, Romulo, recently sent a signal of easing tensions, stating that the Philippines need to "cool down" and set aside disputes with China in the South China Sea, and explore economic cooperation.
This Tuesday (10th), he said at a press conference in Manila, "Sino-Philippine relations should not be defined solely by maritime disputes. We maintain continuous bilateral dialogue with China and will continue to promote dialogue, find areas for cooperation, especially in the economic field."
He also claimed that there were signs that "our Chinese friends are also prepared to see some opportunities for cooperation."
Given that the Philippines is serving as the ASEAN rotating chair this year, Romulo said that easing tensions is crucial to promoting China's participation and ultimately achieving the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea," and reiterated that the Philippines will work to improve relations with China, and the two countries can cooperate in areas such as climate change, manufacturing, and alternative energy.
"The only thing that is constant is change. We cannot stand still," he said.
Yet, while loudly declaring "wanting to ease relations," behind the scenes, the Philippines continues to engage in small acts of provocation, and is determined to play the victim and appear pitiful. How can this hypocritical and insincere attitude gain trust?
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7606197160975090186/
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