China protests Tarriela over alleged smearing of Xi’s ‘dignity’
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy in Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, over his alleged smearing of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “dignity.”
The move came days after Tarriela posted a photo of himself in front of a flatscreen television displaying an image collage that appeared to be an AI-generated picture of Xi.
The photo, shown during a dialogue with students at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, depicted Xi fuming in anger, flexing his muscles, and even holding a wooden boat with a Philippine flag.
“China expresses strong indignation and strongly deplores this, and has lodged solemn representations with Malacañang Palace, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine Coast Guard,” the embassy said in a statement.
“This constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity and a blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line,” it added.
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Chinese Embassy deputy spokesperson Guo Wei confirmed that the “solemn representation” refers to a diplomatic protest.
“It has the same meaning,” Guo told reporters. “In practice, our wording is more formal.”
The embassy also said it is seeking clarification on whether Tarriela’s remarks “against China and the Chinese leader” represent the stance of the Philippine government.
Tarriela said the embassy’s request violates Article 41(1) of the Vienna Convention, which “explicitly states that diplomatic missions must not interfere in the internal affairs of the host state.”
“The Chinese Embassy’s statement demanding clarification from the Philippine government on whether my statements represent official policy — and why I have not been ‘held accountable’ — is not only a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but also an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said in a statement.
Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, a claim effectively rejected by a landmark international tribunal ruling in 2016 following Manila’s arbitration case.
Tarriela also said that the government has no obligation to “discipline” him “for accurately reporting violations occurring in Philippine waters.”
“If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations—often through legitimate public discourse or even satire—it only underscores their discomfort with the truth being exposed,” he added. /mcm
