Philippines summons China's envoy over force remarks

The Philippines summoned China's ambassador on Monday to protest remarks that Manila said conveyed a threat of the use of force, after the envoy told reporters China may easily win a confrontation but would not use force because it loves peace.

Why it matters: The summons moves the South China Sea dispute onto a sharper diplomatic track, with Manila reserving the right to take further action and senators weighing a call to declare the ambassador persona non grata.

Data as of Monday, October 19, 2026, 04:44 ET. Developing item. The summons, the foreign secretary's wording and the ambassador's remarks are from the Reuters report of October 19, 2026, read in full in syndication, reporting the Department of Foreign Affairs statement, and from the Bloomberg report of the same day, read in full. China's embassy in Manila had not responded to a request for comment in either report and said last week the ambassador had been selectively quoted.

Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro summoned Ambassador Jing Quan on Monday and told him his comments to media last week were provocative and unacceptable, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Jing had told reporters that China may easily win in a confrontation with the Philippines but would not use force because it loves peace, responding to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro describing China as a regional troublemaker. Lazaro told Jing the comments aggravated an already sensitive atmosphere between the two countries and that sensitive issues should go through diplomatic channels, and the department said it reserves the right to take further diplomatic action.

Philippines summons China's envoy over force remarks

Sources