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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Chinese embassy insists value of document PH finds questionable

Chinese embassy insists value of document PH finds questionable

Published Mar 17, 2026 12:48 pm  |  Updated Mar 17, 2026 01:16 pm
A man walks near a large sculpture of the Communist Party flag at the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition in Beijing, China, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
A man walks near a large sculpture of the Communist Party flag at the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition in Beijing, China, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
China has insisted that the purported letter it is citing to reject the Philippines' claim over the West Philippine Sea possesses value because it is supposedly written by a Filipino diplomat in an official act, although such a document remains unauthenticated and its origin is still unverified.
The Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday, March 17, released a statement a day after Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Maritime Affairs spokesman Rogelio Villanueva rejected a letter supposedly submitted by a former Philippine ambassador in Germany in 1990 to a radio operator.
Bienvenido Tan, the supposed ambassador who purportedly wrote the letter, said Scarborough Reef does not fall within the territorial sovereignty of the Philippines. DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, in a television interview on Monday, already rejected the pronouncement and made it clear that Scarborough belongs to the Philippines.
But for the Chinese embassy, such a document holds merit.
Ji Lingpeng, spokesman for the embassy, said the letter "in turn is not 'third-party' material from 'unknown sources.'"
He said it is "but rather proof of official acts performed by the duly accredited plenipotentiary representative of the Philippine President and by the competent Philippine government authority exercising powers granted under Philippine law, and therefore carry indisputable legal effect under international law."
"The Embassy flatly rejects the assertion that its statement is without value," Ji also said, adding that Scarborough (or Huangyan Dao in China) is "China's inherent territory."
Villanueva, in a press conference on Monday, already challenged the embassy to elevate the case into proper venue, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), because they "have international legal mechanisms and venues for presenting these documents for international legal scrutiny."
The embassy has yet to respond to the question if it's ready to use the letter before the ICJ to challenge the Philippines' case over Scarborough Shoal. But Ji said arbitration, in the past decade, "has not resolved the disputes between China and the Philippines" but "exacerbated bilateral tensions."
"China must be reminded that maritime and territorial claims are subject to established international legal procedures and dispute settlement mechanisms — not to unilateral proclamations or social media posts," Villanueva said.
"A state confident in the legality of its claims does not shy away from international adjudication. China's conduct is a tacit admission that its claims cannot withstand legal scrutiny," he added.

Related Tags

West Philippine Sea Chinese Embassy DFA
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