Pangilinan: PH-China dialogue depends on embassy’s sincerity

MANILA, Philippines – A potential dialogue between senators and the Chinese embassy would depend on the latter’s sincerity, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said on Monday.

Pangilinan, in a message to reporters, said he understands Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson’s call for a dialogue as a way to ease tensions, especially following a verbal spat between several senators, including Senate President Vicente Sotto III, with embassy officials, including Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng.

However, Pangilinan expressed doubt about the embassy’s intensions, noting it was the first time he had witnessed such disrespect from a foreign mission toward sitting senators.

“We understand the suggestion of Sen Ping.  We do not want to add tensions but all of these would depend on the response of China to the proposal.  If the Chinese Embassy is sincere in pursuing a dialogue or not,” Pangilinan said.

“It’s hard to trust them.  In my four terms as a Senator and for over two decades, it is only now that I and other government officials and institutions experienced profanities from the Chinese embassy.”

He further noted that if the embassy intends to lecture senators on diplomacy, they can just find somebody else to talk to.

“If they would just lecture Senators about diplomacy, we can forgo these talks, they would have to look for somebody else to talk to,” the senator said.

The Chinese embassy, under Ambassador Jing Quan, who replaced Huang Xilian, has taken an offensive stance against several Philippine officials.  The verbal spat prompted the Senate to pass a resolution condemning China’s tirades against those who are defending the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

On Friday, the embassy through its spokesperson Ji Lingpeng said in a statement that Senate Resolution No. 256 which was approved and adopted on February 9 reeks of anti-China sentiments.

READ: China embassy spokesperson fires back at PH senators 

Later on, the Chinese embassy continued to fire back on Filipino lawmakers, saying that there may be millions of jobs lost due to possibly damaged diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Ji also called out Sotto and accused some Philippine senators of intimidating Chinese diplomats, which supposedly escalated tensions between lawmakers and Beijing.

READ: Chinese embassy hits back at Sotto, cites ‘intimidation’ Sotto for his part, vowed not to let the embassy’s remark go unanswered.

READ: Sotto on spat with Chinese embassy spox: I prefer to be annoying  

The WPS, a body of water that forms part of the South China Sea, is inside the western side of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.  China however has insisted ownership on many islands inside the WPS, despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) award in 2016 which stated that the Philippines has exclusive rights over its waters.

Incidents between the two countries over this area have occurred several times, and are well-documented.  In May 2025, the Chinese Coast Guard sideswiped and water cannoned a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) research vessel near Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island.BFAR noted it was the first time a CCG vessel used water cannons on their routine scientific mission.

However, this is not the first time that the CCG conducted water cannon operations over the WPS.  In August 2023, a CCG vessel water-cannoned Philippine vessels which were only trying to bring supplies to soldiers at BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin shoal, which is well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China claimed a previous administration promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied making such an agreement, stating that any such promise has already been terminated./ dp