President Marcos: No persona non grata vs China envoyMANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has rejected calls to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata, in the face of the Chinese embassy’s trading verbal jabs with Philippine officials over disagreements on the West Philippine Sea (WPS). On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said declaring Chinese embassy personnel persona non grata – or unwelcome persons – for their statements against some Filipino officials “is an option of last resort.”Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro noted that such declaration is one of the most severe forms of diplomatic action that can be imposed by the government on foreign diplomatic personnel. Kalayaan, a municipality in Palawan located in the WPS, recently declared Jing persona non grata, citing his supposed violations of diplomatic protocol and interference in the country’s internal affairs. The DFA said Undersecretary for policy Leo Herrera-Lim met with Hou Yanqi, director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Source: Philippine Star January 30, 2026 19:00 UTC