‘We may easily win’: Chinese envoy’s threat of force draws sharp Philippine rebuke

A Chinese ambassador’s declaration that Beijing could easily win if it used force has drawn a sharp rebuke from Philippine officials, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. calling the remarks threatening and demanding an explanation.

“If we want to use force, we may easily win,” Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan said in an interview shared by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela.

Jing followed the statement by saying China would not use force and wanted peace. But the assertion that military force could deliver an easy victory drew objections from both Marcos and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Well, it sounds very much to me like a threat, and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made,” Marcos told reporters Friday during the Philippine Coast Guard’s 125th founding anniversary celebration.

The President said the ambassador should explain exactly what he meant.

Pressed on whether he would summon Jing, Marcos replied: “I think that deserves a discussion between Ambassador and myself.”

The DFA had issued its own rebuke Thursday, describing the envoy’s language as a poor choice of words that appeared to convey a “thinly veiled threat of the use of force.”

Its statement did not identify the specific remarks that prompted the criticism.

The department stressed that diplomacy demands tact and restraint. It warned diplomats against public statements that could deepen distrust and derail constructive engagement between Manila and Beijing.

At the center of the confrontation is Jing’s decision to invoke China’s capacity to prevail through force while speaking of peace. For Philippine officials, the accompanying assurance of peaceful intentions did not erase the threatening message they heard.

Marcos now wants that message explained directly.