Philippines protests Chinese envoy's boast that Beijing 'may easily win' a war as a 'thinly veiled threat'

China's ambassador to Manila, Jing Quan, told a Philippine college forum that Beijing "may easily win" a conflict with the Philippines but insisted it "loves peace" — drawing a furious official response from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who said the remarks sounded "very much to me like a threat." The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs formally protested, calling Jing's words a "thinly veiled threat of the use of force" and "hardly helpful" given the fraught state of bilateral ties. Jing made the remarks after being asked about Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr labelling China a regional "troublemaker."

Jing told the forum Filipinos should feel "fortunate" to have China as a neighbour, and urged Manila to exercise caution over South China Sea disputes.

China asserts sovereignty over nearly the whole of the South China Sea, bringing it into repeated — and sometimes violent — confrontation with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Marcos said he wants to understand exactly what Jing meant, as Manila demanded all diplomats "take greater care in the language" they use on Philippine soil.