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January 17, 2026 | 12:00am
The embassy said it has lodged complaints before the Office of the President and other government agencies over “publicly posted images on social media attacking and smearing Chinese leaders.”
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese embassy in Manila, after trading accusations and arguments with the spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard on social media over the past weeks, is now accusing PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela of smearing China.
The embassy said it has lodged complaints before the Office of the President and other government agencies over “publicly posted images on social media attacking and smearing Chinese leaders.”
“This constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity and a blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line. China expresses strong indignation and strongly deplores this, and has lodged solemn representations with the Malacañang Palace, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine Coast Guard,” its statement read.
The Chinese embassy stated that in recent years, “Tarriela has persistently hyped up maritime issues, confounded right and wrong, misrepresented facts, incited confrontation, misled public opinion, undermined China’s national interests and dignity, impacted mutual trust and cooperation between China and the Philippines, and disrupted diplomatic efforts to improve bilateral relations between the two countries. China has been and will continue to take firm countermeasures in response.”
Tarriela, however, countered that the embassy should be held liable for “interfering in the internal affairs” of the Philippines under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“By pressuring our own government over my personal and professional expressions as the PCG spox on the WPS, the Chinese Embassy is engaging in precisely the interference it is obliged to avoid. This is not legitimate diplomacy; it is an effort to intimidate and suppress truthful reporting on matters of Philippine sovereignty,” Tarriela declared in his statement.
