Philippines summons Chinese ambassador over travel ban on former senator
hit the former Senate majority leader with a travel ban for his stance on the South China Sea.
Francis Tolentino, a key ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, has been barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry last week.
Beijing said the ban was the result of his 'egregious conduct on China-related issues'.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Claire Castro, a presidential spokeswoman, read out a statement from the Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro that said: 'The [Department of Foreign Affairs] conveyed to the Chinese side that while the imposition of such sanctions falls within China's legal prerogative, the imposition of punitive measures against democratically elected officials for their official acts is inconsistent with the norms of mutual respect and dialogue that underpin relations between two equal sovereign states.'
Lazaro said that the foreign ministry 'reminded the ambassador that as a democracy, the Philippines values freedom of expression', and emphasised that senators and other elected officials had a mandate to inquire into issues of national interest.
'The department remains committed to addressing differences through diplomacy and dialogue and looks forward to continued constructive engagement with China to promote mutual understanding,' the statement added.
The Chinese embassy said that Huang had told the Philippine foreign ministry that 'some anti-China politicians in the Philippines have adopted a series of malicious words and deeds on issues related to China for their own selfish interests'.
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