Kalayaan declares Chinese ambassador persona non-grata — 2nd time in 3 years

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January 29, 2026 | 6:55pm

MANILA, Philippines — A small Philippine municipality governing a scattering of features in the South China Sea has declared Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata.

Kalayaan, the Philippine municipality that claims jurisdiction over nine features in the Spratly Islands, declared the ambassador persona non grata on Tuesday, January 27, over the embassy's public remarks against Filipino officials defending the country's maritime claims.

The Sangguniang Bayan unanimously passed the resolution during its January 27 session, accusing Jing of violating diplomatic protocol by demanding the Philippine government "hold accountable" Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela for his transparency efforts in the West Philippine Sea.

"Ambassador Jing Quan and the Chinese Embassy recently engaged in blatant interference by demanding that the Philippine government 'hold accountable' Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, for his transparency efforts—an act that constitutes an attempt to intimidate a Philippine officer for performing his patriotic duty," the resolution stated.

The municipality consists of a single barangay on Pag-asa Island with a 2024 census population of 406, making it the least populated town in the Philippines. But Kalayaan exercises jurisdiction over eight islets and three reefs in the Spratly archipelago, all of which are disputed by China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan.

This marks the second time Kalayaan has declared a Chinese ambassador persona non grata. In August 2023, the council took similar action against then-ambassador Huang Xilian after Chinese vessels water-cannoned Philippine Coast Guard ships during a resupply mission.

The latest resolution condemned what it called "wolf warrior diplomacy and the direct targeting of Filipino leaders and uniformed personnel," saying such conduct is "incompatible with the role of a 'stabilizing force' the ambassador claimed to represent upon his arrival in December 2025."

The Chinese embassy has spent the past weeks publicly responding to Philippine officials with statements that reiterate China's nine-dash line claim. The embassy filed diplomatic protests with Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs over Tarriela's sharing of satirical images of Chinese President Xi Jinping.