MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not want to declare any foreign diplomat persona non grata, including Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan, as the country remains keen on resolving issues through diplomatic means, Palace press officer Claire Castro said Monday.
This comes as the Senate is eyeing a resolution on the Chinese embassy’s challenge to Filipino lawmakers to declare Jing persona non grata over his remarks about China’s use of force against the Philippines.
Earlier this year, Castro warned that declaring Chinese diplomatic personnel persona non grata carries serious implications and should be considered only as a last resort when diplomatic relations have severely deteriorated.
READ: Marcos to summon Chinese envoy over ‘threatening’ remarks
Asked whether Malacañang still stood by that position, Castro said Marcos would not want to declare any foreign official in the country persona non grata.
“We know the president’s position. He would not want this kind of declaration to be made against anyone, including a representative of another country here in our country,” she said at a briefing.
“Whatever the opinions of other leaders and senators may be, we respect their views, opinions and feelings. But as we have said, the president does not act outside diplomatic channels,” she continued.
READ: PH cautions vs. declaring Chinese diplomats persona non grata
Castro added that Marcos continues to regard relations between the Philippines and China as “good” despite a war of words between the Chinese embassy and Philippine officials.
“Relations remain in good standing in the eyes of the President and the administration. If there are issues like this, let us allow the Department of Foreign Affairs to respond and determine the appropriate steps to further improve dialogue with China,” she said.
Castro said there was no information yet on when Marcos would summon Jing. However, the president would proceed with his scheduled trip to Shenzhen, China, from Nov. 18 to 20 for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting.
She also said there was no information on whether Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping would hold a bilateral meeting.
Castro maintained that the Philippines would not initiate aggression in defending its interests in the West Philippine Sea.
READ: Senate may issue resolution on China envoy’s persona non grata challenge
“Even as we fight for and protect our rights, our territory and the West Philippine Sea, the President remains diplomatic. He does not initiate any aggression,” she said.
“That is what we should show and make known to the whole world: that the Philippines does not initiate any aggression,” the Palace official added.
She said the government remained hopeful that relations with China would improve.
Meanwhile, Castro said lawmakers and other officials would not be prevented from expressing their concerns about the issue, as they enjoy freedom of expression.
Last week, Marcos said he would summon Jing over the envoy’s remarks that China could easily win if it chose to use force against the Philippines.
The remarks prompted lawmakers to urge Marcos to declare Jing persona non grata. /das
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