The Chinese ambassador to Manila has some strong words for the complaint filed by former Philippine government officials against him and President Xi Jinping at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ambassador Zhao Jianhua told reporters at a media conference in Manila’s Malacañang Palace today that the complaint filed by two formerly high-ranking Filipino government officials were not based on facts and were an attack on Chinese leadership.
The complaint that Zhao was referring to was filed by former Department of Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Ombudsman Conchita Morales at the ICC last month.
In their complaint, they accused Xi, Zhao, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi of crimes against humanity for China’s alleged destruction of the environment of the West Philippine Sea, which allegedly affected the livelihood of Filipino fishermen, reported GMA News. The two officials said the environmental destruction was caused by the Chinese government’s dredging and artificial island building in the contested area.
Zhao was quoted by CNN Philippines as saying: “We think it is a kind of political action viciously targeting the Chinese leadership. So we don’t think it’s a proper action that is based on facts. It’s a fabrication and also the misuse of the mandate of the ICC.”
According to ABS-CBN, he also added that the case will not prosper because “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte assured the Chinese Communist Party’s Minister of the International Department Song Tao that his administration had nothing to do with the complaint filed by Morales and del Rosario.
This assurance was echoed by Zhao today. “The department concerned has expressed clearly to the Chinese side the Filipino government has no role to a (sic) knee-jerk reaction by [these] individuals,” he said.
Duterte’s government is generally perceived to have pro-China policies, with the president even announcing an economic and military split from the United States, one of its oldest allies, to align himself ideologically with China.
Some critics have assailed the government for this, especially because Duterte has consistently refused to enforce a 2016 ruling which invalidated China’s claim over the West Philippine Sea.
