Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin has apologized for telling China to "get the ... out" of disputed waters in the South China Sea, Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2021) Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin has apologized for telling China to "get the ... out" of disputed waters in the South China Sea, Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Tuesday.
On Monday, Locsin took to Twitter to express his strongly-worded protest against the presence of Chinese vessels in what the Philippines considers part of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. His ministry had already protested the activity of Chinese coastguards in the Scarborough Shoal.
"I talked with Secretary Locsin and he informed me that he personally apologized to the Chinese ambassador and that the words he said were prompted by things that made him lose his temper," Roque said at a virtual press conference, as quoted by the state-run Philippine news Agency.
The spokesman specified that Locsin's statement did not represent the official stance of the government, neither was his apology ordered for by the president.
Meanwhile, Locsin clarified on his personal Twitter account that his apology was addressed "only" to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and "nobody else."
"That's right. I suddenly realized my friendship with Wang Yi was on the line so I tweeted my concern about our friendship. That must continue. He's my idol in diplomacy. (I think his idol and mine is [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov.) I add [ex-US Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo. [Incumbent US State Secretary Antony] Blinken is emerging as a force in his own right," Locsin said in another tweet.
China's territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of several other nations. The United States has repeatedly voiced concern over the Chinese maritime activities and eventually sent navy to the area, explaining the deployment as intended to ensure safety of navigation.
