The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea has responded to the Chinese Embassy’s call for clarification and explanation on Friday.

In a Facebook statement, PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Chinese Embassy’s demand for clarification not only violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but is also an attempt to deflect attention from the core issue, China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea.

“This is not legitimate diplomacy; it is an effort to intimidate and suppress truthful reporting on matters of Philippine sovereignty,” Tarriela wrote.

He cited Article 41(1) of the Vienna Convention, which explicitly states that diplomatic missions must not interfere in the internal affairs of the host state. Tarriela said that by pressuring the Philippine government over his personal and professional expressions as PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, the Chinese Embassy is engaging in precisely the kind of interference it is obligated to avoid.

Tarriela added that calls for clarification should be redirected “where they truly belong.” He said the Philippines and the international community deserve clear explanations from China regarding the well-documented incidents consistently reported by Philippine authorities, including:

• Dangerous maneuvers, intentional ramming, and water cannon attacks by Chinese vessels against PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels;

• The illegal blocking and harassment of Filipino fishermen within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone;

• The deployment of hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels and the construction of artificial islands in violation of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which definitively invalidated China’s expansive maritime claims.

He also pointed to China’s continued disregard for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, and the principles of peaceful coexistence.

“The Filipino people remain resolute: we will continue to document, report, and assert our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea—peacefully, factually, and without fear,” Tarriela said.

Earlier on Friday, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said it had filed a protest against Tarriela for what it described as “attacking and smearing Chinese leaders” on social media, claiming his posts amounted to a “political provocation.”

The protest stemmed from a Facebook post by Tarriela on Wednesday, which showed him delivering a speech with a background featuring a compilation of comical images of Chinese President Xi Jinping under the banner, “Why China remains to be bully?”