China’s ambassador to the Philippines has sparked diplomatic backlash after saying Beijing could “easily win” a military conflict with Manila, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to describe the remarks as sounding like a threat, The Independent reports.

Chinese ambassador Jing Quanv made the comments at a college forum in Quezon City on Thursday while discussing escalating tensions over maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

“We should feel fortunate enough that you have a neighbour like China in this region,” Jing said, urging the Philippines to exercise caution in handling disputes with Beijing.

“If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose force, and we love peace,” he added.

His remarks came in response to a question about Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro describing China as a regional “troublemaker”.

Marcos said the ambassador’s statement sounded threatening and called for a direct discussion to clarify its meaning.

“Well, it sounds very much to me like a threat and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made. So, we perhaps would like to understand what exactly it’s that he means,” Marcos said after attending the 125th founding anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard.

He did not explicitly say whether the government would summon the ambassador, but said the issue “deserves a discussion between the ambassador and myself”.

The Philippine foreign ministry described Jing’s remarks as a “poor choice of words”, saying they appeared to convey a “thinly veiled threat” to use force.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela went further, calling the comments a “direct threat”.

“No people feel fortunate when a larger neighbour repeatedly violates the law and then tells them to be thankful it was not worse,” Tarriela wrote on X.

“Not using force against a country whose rights you are already violating is not peace. It is coercion by other means,” he added.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said Jing’s remarks had been taken out of context. It said the ambassador had emphasised China’s view of the Philippines as a neighbour across the sea and a friend with deep historical and cultural ties.

Beijing sought only “stable relations” with Manila, the embassy added.

The diplomatic row comes amid repeated confrontations between the two countries in the disputed South China Sea, where competing territorial claims have fuelled tensions and occasional violence.

Last week, Chinese coast guard personnel allegedly used water cannons to obstruct the medical evacuation of a sailor from the grounded Philippine vessel BRP Sierra Madre, according to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Tarriela.

The delay lasted nearly 10 hours, forcing the Philippine ship to leave the area to ensure the safety of its crew, he said.

In September, the Philippine military said it had tracked 101 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels around Scarborough Shoal, Thitu Island, Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal. The figure was nearly double the 56 vessels recorded in August.