Marcos to summon Chinese envoy over 'use of force' remark

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday confirmed he will summon Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan after the latter’s remarks conveyed a “thinly veiled threat” of using force.

Marcos said this in an ambush interview during the celebration of the 125th Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) founding anniversary.

“Well, it sounds very much to me like a threat, and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made. So we perhaps would like to understand what exactly it is that he means,” the President said when asked if he is going to summon the Chinese ambassador.

Pressed on whether that means he will summon Jing, the President added, “I think that deserves a discussion between Ambassador and myself.”

A social media post by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, showed Jing being interviewed, where he said, "If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace, and in this region, we enjoy the peace." —AOL, GMA News