The China Embassy diplomatic corps has issued a clear and unequivocal statement that should the Senate of the Philippines made formal declaration citing its Ambassador Jing Quan “persona non grata” and affirmed by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. , the entire diplomatic team will immediately leave the country. This means that the Chinese Embassy will close and cease operations.
The threat of declaring the Chinese diplomats persona non grata was floated by the Senate President Tito Sotto and supported by the Senate majority. Incendiary speeches of Senators Erwin Tulfo, Kiko Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros who described the Chinese diplomats as “bad guests” had led to what looked like an irreconcilable stance.
The verbal tussle between the Senate majority and the Chinese ambassador stemmed from the tactless verbiage from Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela on President Xi Jinping of China. Tarriela, in a speech before Filipino students, used caricatures of President Xi depicting him as disdainful. This was considered by Ambassador Quan as “serious violation of China’s political dignity”. Tarriela tweaked the narrative and responded that the Chinese Embassy protest is an attempt to “intimidate and suppress the truthful reporting on the Philippines sovereignty issues”.
The truth is, the strained ties has nothing to do with sovereignty but on the insensitive balderdash of Tarriela which had altogether usurped the functions of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The silence of Malacanang on the other hand is ominous. The Senate seemingly oblivious of the outcome from the departure of the Chinese diplomatic mission and closure of the embassy is now confronted with what it asked for. OCTA Research meanwhile suddenly came out with a statistics allegedly showing that 74% of Filipinos distrust China.
Well, any which way you look at the situation, the Senate nincompoops and the sickly tenant in Malacanang are courting the fates. The second biggest economy and the biggest consumer market in the world will be inaccessible to the Philippines. Let us see what the Sotto-led Senate can and will do. Will it be a celebration for 74% of Filipinos many of whom have Chinese blood in their veins?
