MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that he and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan must hold a meeting following recent statements from the envoy, which the Chief Executive characterized as a “threat” and “not very diplomatic”.
Speaking during an ambush interview on Friday, October 16, Marcos expressed his intention to clarify the context behind the ambassador’s assertion that Beijing could easily triumph in a military conflict against Manila if it chose to employ force.
The Chinese diplomat was quoted from an interview on Thursday, October 16, stating:
”If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace.”
For President Marcos, the remarks carried the unmistakable tone of intimidation, making a direct dialogue necessary.
”Well it sounds very much to me like a threat and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made. So, we perhaps would like to understand what exactly it is that he means,”
Marcos shared these thoughts during a chance interview following his attendance at the 125th founding anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard.
While the President did not explicitly confirm whether he would formally summon the envoy, he maintained that a face-to-face conversation is imperative.
”I think that deserves a discussion between ambassador and myself,” the President said.