The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday criticized the Chinese Embassy in Manila over its recent social media posts, saying their tone and language undermine mutual trust and efforts to stabilize relations between the Philippines and China.
In a statement, the DFA described the embassy’s recent posts as undiplomatic and warned that they were not conducive to maintaining good relations between the two countries.
“The escalatory and undiplomatic tone and language used in the latest social media statements of the Chinese Embassy erode mutual trust and confidence and severely undermines the efforts to stabilize and improve bilateral relations,” the DFA said.
The department added that the public statements did not reflect the longstanding spirit of constructive engagement between the two countries and their foreign ministries.
The Chinese Embassy has been posting on Facebook and responding to statements by Philippine government officials and lawmakers who have criticized Beijing.
The latest dispute followed the backlash against Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan over remarks attributed to him that China could easily win if it chose to use force against the Philippines.
In response, the DFA reminded all diplomats accredited to the Philippines to exercise restraint and responsibility in their public statements, including posts on social media.
“All diplomats are expected to conduct and express themselves in a manner befitting diplomatic envoys, especially on social media,” the department also said.
The DFA reiterated that it reserves the right to take further diplomatic action as it deems necessary.
Despite the dispute, the department reaffirmed the Philippines’ adherence to the One China Policy, anchored on the 1975 Philippines-China Joint Communique.
The policy recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and acknowledges the Chinese government’s position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, the DFA said.
The department added that Philippine regulations have consistently reflected the country’s implementation of the One China Policy.