Philippines foreign ministry rebukes officials over public comments on China
Manila's foreign ministry told security agencies that civilian authority directs foreign relations as it prepares to host an ASEAN summit.
The Philippines' foreign ministry has publicly rebuked government officials and agencies over their comments about China, calling for a unified voice before Manila hosts an ASEAN summit next week, CNA and The Straits Times reported. Both outlets described the move as rare.
The Straits Times dated the statement Nov 8. CNA said it was issued on "Sunday (Nov 5)".
"Public statements that undermine the government's diplomatic approach do more than complicate the work of our diplomats," the Department of Foreign Affairs said. It did not point to particular incidents, but warned that such remarks could "project an image of internal division that external parties can exploit" and weaken the country's negotiating position.
The statement was directed at the national security establishment and uniformed services, which according to the reports have traded heated messages with the Chinese Embassy on social media for months. The armed services were indispensable in documenting incidents, the ministry said, but "civilian authority directs the country's international relations". It added that the 2016 international ruling that broadly dismissed China's South China Sea claims came through "rigorous legal proceedings under international law, not through public messaging or social media".
Tensions have also spilled into the political arena. Several senators called last month for Beijing's ambassador to be declared persona non grata after he suggested China could "easily win" any confrontation with the Philippines. Beijing later accused Manila of "erecting multiple obstacles" to its attendance at an ASEAN defence ministers' meeting and sent only an embassy defence attache. Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro was banned from visiting China this year, with Beijing citing "irresponsible remarks".
Last week, China's top diplomat Wang Yi urged Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro in a phone call to rein in politicians who had "smeared" Beijing and crossed its "red lines". Lazaro called the conversation "frank and constructive".
Chester Cabalza, a Manila-based security analyst, told the outlets' shared report that the ministry had gone public to "assure its counterparts, particularly China, that they are in control of the Philippines' foreign policy". The defence department and coast guard were responsible for security policy but not foreign policy, he said.
The Philippines, a US ally, has confronted China at sea for years over disputed areas of the waterway, with repeated incidents in recent months. US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among those due to attend next week's summit in Manila.
Sources: CNA, Philippines rebukes officials over public comments about China; The Straits Times, Philippines rebukes officials over public comments about China.
