Chinese ambassador denies threatening Philippines after saying a war may prove easy to win

China's Beijing ambassador to the Philippines, Jing Quan, has refuted allegations of making threats after he suggested that a war between the two nations could be easily won. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro summoned Jing on Monday to express her "serious concern and strong objections" to his "provocative and unacceptable" language.

According to the Philippine foreign ministry, Jing had "conveyed a threat" and aggravated a sensitive situation, undermining efforts to foster mutual understanding between the two countries.

On Thursday, Jing told a forum in Quezon City that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro's remark about China being a "regional troublemaker" was "nonsense". He added, "If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force and we love peace." Jing denied the allegations, stating that his intention was to promote peace between the two countries, which are in dispute over their overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

He emphasized that China did not intend to resort to force due to their close neighborly relationship. Jing urged both nations to enhance dialogue, manage differences, and deepen cooperation, emphasizing that the good aspects should prevail over the bad ones. He also accused Teodoro and other officials of attempting to "attack and smear China".