“I PREFER to be annoying.”
Thus said by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III who brushed off the Chinese Embassy’s sharp response to his remarks, saying he would rather not react.
“When someone triggers you to react and you do not, it’s annoying! I prefer to be annoying!” Sotto maintained his stand.
Earlier, Sotto said the embassy’s remarks appeared aimed at silencing the Senate after lawmakers took a stand on the West Philippine Sea issue, adding that “respect begets respect.”
During Senate discussion on PS Resolution 256, Sotto also associated himself with the manifestations of the resolution’s sponsors and suggested studying the possibility of declaring “that particular person a persona non grata,” calling it “very, very serious when the Senate does that.”
The Chinese Embassy’s statement, attributed to spokesperson Ji Lingpeng, challenged Sotto’s criticism by citing past heated language from some senators and arguing that the embassy was not trying to silence the Senate. It also pushed back against proposals to declare Chinese diplomats “persona non grata,” and said it would answer what it described as “baseless attacks and smears.”
In the same statement, the embassy said it “welcome[s] constructive dialogue and discussion” but warned it would “respond firmly and without hesitation” when it believed falsehoods or vilification were being spread, citing diplomatic rules for its stance.
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