Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on Tuesday distanced the Chinese government from a controversial China Daily editorial that depicted Filipinos as a monkey, saying it was the work of the media and not the Chinese government.The Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party owns China Daily.Asked to clarify Beijing&#x27;s position on the editorial, Jing claimed the Chinese government does not control the content produced by every media organization in China.He declined further comment.&quot;I think our spokesperson said very clearly, it&#x27;s just the media&#x27;s action. And it&#x27;s nothing related to government,&quot; Jing told reporters after meeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang.&quot;And there are so many medias in China. We cannot ask each media, each video, each article, each paper, you know, to try to control. No, no, no.&quot;Jing said Beijing had no further comment on the matter.&quot;Actually, you know, when we say we don&#x27;t have comments, that&#x27;s our position.&quot;In a statement Wednesday, Akbayan Party-List Rep. Perci Cendaña said the ambassador was openly trying to mislead Filipinos with his statement.&quot;Firstly, no media outlet freely operates inside China without the express approval of the Chinese Communist Party regime,&quot; he said.&quot;Second, China Daily is owned by the propaganda arm of the CCP.&quot;He warned that China might try to &quot;gaslight&quot; Filipinos next by saying the Chinese Coast Guard hit a Philippine Navy personnel at Ayungin Shoal on the head was a sign of affection.<div> </div><div>ENVOY CALLS FOR BETTER TIES WITH PH</div>Jing also appealed for improved relations between Manila and Beijing despite continuing tensions in the South China Sea.&quot;We have disputes, maritime disputes, border issues, not just with Philippines,&quot; he said, noting that China also has territorial disputes with countries including India, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.Jing questioned why tensions between China and the Philippines had become more pronounced than China&#x27;s disputes with other neighbors.&quot;So our principle is always, first, let&#x27;s talk, negotiation, sit down, calm down, find a way, address each other&#x27;s concern if we have differences,&quot; he said.If the two sides cannot immediately resolve their differences, Jing said they should instead &quot;put those differences aside&quot; and pursue areas of cooperation.He pointed to the 2018 memorandum of understanding on joint oil and gas development between the Philippines and China, saying political tensions had prevented both countries from realizing its potential benefits.&quot;If we started eight years ago, maybe we already benefit from our cooperation,&quot; he said.&quot;People say never say too late. If we start today, maybe in three years we can have the first barrel of gas.&quot;Jing urged both countries to stop trading accusations and instead focus on practical cooperation.&quot;Let&#x27;s do something, take some action, not always talk, blame each other, point finger to each other... Let&#x27;s do something, treat each other like a neighbor, friends.&quot;The ambassador also expressed hope that high-level diplomacy would help stabilize bilateral ties, confirming that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Kuala Lumpur and would meet Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers&#x27; Meeting.According to Jing, the talks come at &quot;a very important&quot; time as bilateral relations face &quot;more and more difficulties, more and more problems, challenges.&quot;He said the meeting would give both foreign ministers an opportunity to compare notes on key issues, address each other&#x27;s concerns and develop a roadmap for the rest of the year.Jing said China hopes to deepen cooperation and people-to-people exchanges while managing maritime disputes to prevent them from escalating.&quot;Sometimes we debate, we don&#x27;t agree with each other, but at least we should talk to each other,&quot; he said. &quot;We should find a way to manage those difficult issues, prevent those issues from becoming something explosive to our relations, and keep the relations stable.&quot;His remarks came a day after another confrontation between Philippine and Chinese personnel at Ayungin Shoal, during which the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said a Philippine Navy servicemember was injured after allegedly being struck by China Coast Guard personnel with a wooden baton.In a statement issued after the incident, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the latest confrontation reinforced its assessment that China has repeatedly undermined trust through its actions in the West Philippine Sea.&quot;The latest act of violence and harassment committed by Chinese forces adds to a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior, and further contributes to the People&#x27;s Republic of China&#x27;s deficit of trust and credibility,&quot; the DND said.The Department added that &quot;we simply cannot trust this belligerent neighbor.&quot;The DND also said the Philippines would continue to strengthen its deterrence capabilities, deepen security partnerships with allies, and defend its sovereign rights in accordance with international law.

The Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party owns China Daily.

The Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party owns China Daily.

Chinese envoy distances Beijing from China Daily's 'monkey' video on Filipinos

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Chinese envoy distances Beijing from China Daily's 'monkey' video on Filipinos

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 22, 2026 12:08 AM PHT

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Updated July 22, 2026 04:01 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippines

China

US

DFA

West Philippine Sea

South China Sea

Ayungin Shoal

Second Thomas Shoal

BRP Sierra Madre

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