The rhetorical duel between the Philippines and China shows no sign of abating as Manila continues to express displeasure over Beijing’s ongoing release of confrontational statements targeting Philippine legislators and other government officials.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Monday that it has made “firm representations” to Chinese Ambassador in Manila Jing Quan, conveying “serious concerns” over the embassy’s continued public criticism against Senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, among others.

The DFA said that while it acknowledged China’s differing views with the Philippines, especially in issues affecting national interest, it emphasized the importance of communicating them through diplomatic channels in a “professional and respectful” manner. 

“The Department believes that circumspection in language and actions is necessary so that the exchanges between the two sides, especially in the public domain, do not and will not unnecessarily derail the diplomatic space needed to manage the tensions in the maritime domain,” the DFA stated.

The statement followed the Chinese embassy’s ongoing series of social media posts, openly calling out Philippine officials over maritime issues in the South China Sea. 

The embassy, among others, expressed offense over Philippine Coast Guard West Philippine Sea spokesperson Jay Tarriela’s alleged “smear” and “provocative” remarks against President Xi Jinping.

As part of the protest, China last week summoned Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz to compel the Philippines to stop “turning a blind eye” and “tolerating” Tarriela from orchestrating a “smear campaign” against Chinese leaders, particularly Xi. 

They accused Tarriela of “making inflammatory, confrontational, misleading and baseless remarks against China on maritime issues,” which Beijing lamented as “unacceptable.”

The latest protest followed just a week after an earlier one, triggered by Tarriela’s 14 January Facebook post.

The post features Tarriela presenting an AI-generated satirical photo of Xi with the text “Why China remains to be bully?” during a forum at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. 

The Chinese Embassy lamented that Tarriela’s “malicious” social media posts against China have been a recurring issue, but argued that the particular post constituted a “blatant political provocation” that has “crossed the red line.”

The DFA, however, reiterated that it’s one with Philippine officials and government institutions performing their lawful duties in defense of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. 

“Their views, as well as those of disagreeing voices, are an inescapable part of the robust plurality of ideas that animate our democratic society,” the DFA said. 

The Philippines and China have long been embroiled in a maritime dispute over the SCS, which overlaps with the WPS. 

China has persistently asserted jurisdiction over WPS, notwithstanding a 2016 arbitral ruling, which deemed Beijing’s expansive claims in the entire SCS as invalid and baseless.