Philippine President Marcos rejects calls to declare Chinese envoy persona non grata, says palace

MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has rejected proposals to declare Chinese Ambassador to Manila Jing Quan persona non grata, according to palace press officer Claire Castro.

In a media interview on Jan 30, Ms Castro said she asked Mr Marcos for his reaction to the idea floated by some lawmakers following a heated exchange between the Chinese Embassy and Philippine legislators and government officials.

She said Mr Marcos did not let her finish her question and gave a firm “no”.

“The President said, ‘No’,” Ms Castro told reporters.

Asked if Mr Marcos strongly opposes the move, Ms Castro said: “As for the President’s answer regarding the call to declare an ambassador persona non grata, ‘No’.”

Despite this, Kalayaan vice-mayor Maurice Philip Alexis Albayda said the envoy has already been tagged persona non grata in Palawan’s Kalayaan town in the West Philippine Sea. The West Philippine Sea is the name used by Manila for parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone.

Mr Albayda told the Inquirer that a copy of the document declaring Mr Jing an unwanted person would be sent to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Mr Jing has not personally attacked Filipinos, but the Chinese Embassy and one of its spokespersons have recently strongly criticised Philippine officials, including Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela and several lawmakers, for speaking out against Chinese harassment of Philippine ships and fishermen.

Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesman Ji Lingpeng said the ambassador will immediately leave the Philippines but “with immense pride and honour”, should the Philippine President declare him persona non grata.

On Jan 29, the DFA warned that declaring Chinese diplomatic personnel persona non grata carries serious implications, saying such a move should be considered only as a last resort when diplomatic relations have severely deteriorated.

“The declaration of persona non grata is one of the most severe forms of diplomatic action that can be imposed by the government against foreign diplomatic personnel.

“While it is within the remit of the DFA, such action is an option of last resort, second only to the downgrading of relations, when diplomatic relations with a certain country have so seriously fractured that no intervening remedy can stabilise interaction and engagement,” it said in a statement.

The DFA noted that such a move carries “tremendous implications”, including possible reciprocal action or other countermeasures in other areas. It stressed that the decision should not be made lightly and must be carefully weighed against how it would shape the Philippines’ strategic interests going forward. INQUIRER.NET/ASIA NEWS NETWORK