Philippines Summons Chinese Envoy Over Force Remarks

The Philippine government summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on October 19 to protest remarks it said conveyed a threat to use force, as Beijing rejected Manila’s interpretation of his comments. Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro met Jing and conveyed the government’s serious concern and strong objections, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The department described the ambassador’s language as provocative and unacceptable, and said it risked undermining efforts to build mutual understanding between the two countries. The dispute followed remarks Jing made to journalists on October 15. According to one account of his comments, he said resorting to force would be easy, but added that China would not do so and wanted peace. Philippine officials interpreted the reference to China’s military capability as a threat. The supplied accounts do not include a full transcript of the exchange. The Chinese Embassy in Manila said Jing’s remarks had been selectively quoted and overinterpreted. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also criticized what she described as the hyping of China-related issues and called on the Philippine side to restrain what...