Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan is amenable to leaving Manila, but only if President Marcos Jr. tells him to do so, the Chinese Embassy declared in light of an increasingly heated verbal row involving its diplomat and Philippine legislators.

The Chinese Embassy’s announcement, released late Wednesday, follows Senate President Tito Sotto’s proposal to declare Jing persona non grata (unacceptable or unwelcome) in the country over his scathing criticism of Philippine senators condemning China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

The embassy’s spokesperson, Ji Lingpeng, said only Marcos, as head of state, has the authority to kick Jing out of Manila. In that event, other Chinese diplomats in the Philippines, including him, would join Jing in gracefully leaving the country.

“If he were to receive such notice from President Marcos, he would depart immediately. But he would do so with immense pride and honor, knowing that through his actions, he has fulfilled the firm commitment a Chinese diplomat makes to his country,” the embassy’s statement reads.

Ji, however, stressed that although their potential departure would lead to the embassy being closed, the Chinese diplomats would remain unfazed and would continue to “push back slanders and smears against China through various channels.”

“This is the most basic duty of Chinese diplomats. If a diplomat cannot even do that, then what is the point of having diplomats at all?” Ji argued.

In Kalayaan, Palawan, Jing was already declared persona non grata on Thursday.

Earlier this week, 15 senators across the political spectrum signed a resolution denouncing the Chinese Embassy’s indecent remarks directed at some of their colleagues, who have actively criticized China’s continued assertion of jurisdiction over the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the West Philippine Sea.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that while it acknowledged calls to declare Jing persona non grata, “such an action is an option of last resort.”

The DFA warned that such a move could have “tremendous implications,” such as reciprocal action or other countermeasures in other areas, and can only be activated when diplomatic relations have “seriously fractured that no intervening remedy can stabilize the interaction and engagement.”

“[W]hich is why it should not be made lightly and decided only with careful and clear thought and preparedness for how it will shape the Philippines' strategic interests moving forward,” the DFA statement reads.

The DFA reiterated that it is best to sort out differences between the Philippines and China “through dialogue and consultation rather than through public discourse,” as is currently happening.

Although tensions between the two nations are nothing new, they have recently escalated further after China lodged diplomatic protests against Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela over alleged “smear” and “provocation” statements directed at Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The embassy took offense at Tarriela’s Facebook post featuring a caricature of Xi with the text “Why China remains to be bully?” during a forum at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde earlier this month.

The 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.”

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

Tarriela, however, pushed back, accusing China of “diverting” the issue from its relentless aggression against Philippine troops in the WPS.

The PCG official drew the support of lawmakers, who castigated China, leading to a word war between them and Jing.