PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday thumbed down suggestions for the government to push for the recall of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian following China’s actions against Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
Several lawmakers earlier urged for the removal of Huang after the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannons against government boats delivering provisions to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal and troops stationed at a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship in Ayungin Shoal on December 9 and 10, respectively.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri even said Huang failed ”to address the continued attacks of his government on our troops and on our people.”
However, Marcos said replacing Huang would not change anything, as a new ambassador will always take the Chinese position.
”I mean kung talagang objectionable siya, you can make it known to Beijing. But I think Ambassador Huang is just doing his job,” Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in Tokyo.
”We cannot overreact to this. Sasabihin mo, ‘yung iba nga napipikon, saasabihing hindi naman tungkol sa atin ito, tungkol sa Pilipinas ito. Eh kung magkamali tayo, eh di malaking gulo. So, we don’t want to go anywhere near that situation,” he said.
China has been more assertive in pushing its claims to nearly the entire South China Sea, despite an arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines’ case that Beijing’s claims of sovereignty had no legal basis.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have been negotiating a code of conduct to govern the behavior of parties in the South China Sea.
“Of course, I wish we talked about it over the table as opposed to colliding with each other’s ships in the open sea. Of course, I will prefer the less confrontational method of trying to decide these things. But it is what it is,” Marcos said.
