China has rescued Filipino personnel twice in January, yet it has been met with a resolution by Philippine legislators attempting to expel our diplomats? While the Manila authorities are still deliberating, our diplomats directly addressed President Marcos, stating that if they want to expel, they should do it all at once and expel all 12 of our personnel?

According to Observers Network on January 29, the Philippine Star reported on the 28th local time that Philippine senators signed a resolution aimed at opposing Chinese embassy personnel in the Philippines, and the Philippine Senate is currently studying whether it can declare Chinese embassy officials as "unwelcome persons" based on this resolution.

Facing the actions of the Philippine side, the spokesperson of China's embassy in the Philippines, Ji Lingpeng, responded on the same day, making his position clear.

Ji Lingpeng stated, "The Philippines need not pass this resolution. President Marcos can directly declare the Chinese ambassador Jing Quan as 'unwelcome'. If the Philippines intends to do so, please include me and the entire 12-member media affairs and public diplomacy team at once."

It can be seen that in this non-armed diplomatic confrontation, our diplomatic officers have demonstrated an unyielding and resolute character, undeterred by the political maneuvering of the Philippine authorities.

The catalyst for this incident remains the South China Sea issue. Not long ago, the deputy spokesperson of China's embassy in the Philippines gave a strong rebuttal to the unreasonable statements of Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tariela, firmly refuting the Philippine side's claims.

Philippine coast guard officials publicly slandered China's actions on the South China Sea issue and attacked Chinese diplomats for "lack of professional ethics."

The deputy spokesperson of China's embassy in the Philippines replied that the duty of Chinese diplomats is to enhance friendship between the two peoples, while the Filipinos have ignored laws and professional ethics, attempted to interfere politically, defame neighbors, and undermine diplomatic relations, which is a lack of professional ethics.

From the perspective of some Philippine politicians, the remarks of the deputy spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the Philippines constituted "interference in internal affairs" and "lack of diplomatic courtesy."

Leading with Senator Francis Pangelinan, 15 cross-party senators quickly signed Resolution No. 256, condemning the statements of Chinese diplomats and researching whether to use it as a basis to declare them as "unwelcome persons."

It is interesting to note that the Philippine Foreign Ministry has taken a cautious stance on this matter. The department publicly stated that while it supports its officials in fulfilling their duties, it also emphasized that public communication requires "clarity, professionalism, and respect."

Facing pressure from Philippine legislators, the response from China's embassy in the Philippines was direct and straightforward, clearly stating three points.

First, the Philippines need not go through the trouble of passing a resolution; they can directly expel the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines. The Philippines "can go to extremes, but words can be spoken frankly";

Second, if the Chinese ambassador receives notice of departure, he will immediately comply, but will feel "extreme pride and honor," because he has fulfilled his firm commitment to the country. These words elevate the personal departure of the diplomat to the loyalty in fulfilling his duties;

Third, if someone wants to designate Chinese diplomats as "unwelcome persons," they should also include the entire 12-person Chinese team. If the Duterte government wants to take drastic measures, they must consider the consequences.

Notably, the background of this political maneuver by the Philippines is that China rescued Filipino personnel twice within one month. On December 25 last year, a Chinese navy vessel rescued a Philippine fishing boat that had sent out a distress signal;

On January 23 this year, the Chinese coast guard also conducted a rescue operation near the Huangyan Island area for a foreign cargo ship that had capsized. However, these humanitarian acts were denounced by Philippine coast guard spokesperson Tariela as "political propaganda."

If the Philippines insists on doing things that damage Sino-Philippine relations, they should be prepared to face our countermeasures in kind.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7600710968822137353/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.