Speaking at the Saturday News Forum, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ clarified that he does not view the recent statements issued by the Embassy of China in the Philippines as a ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค. He noted that the remarksโaddressed both to him and to the Philippinesโ ongoing operations in the West Philippine Seaโ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐.
He emphasized that the ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ, ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ, while continuing to support constructive dialogue.