Palace distances itself from Locsin's China tirade

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, the Philippine presidential palace distanced itself from Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.'s tirade against China.

Locsin's tweet telling Chinese ships to 'get the f— out' of Philippine waters was criticized by both the Palace and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque stated that President Duterte does not approve the use of profanities in diplomacy, clarifying that Locsin’s views are personal and not official policy.

Locsin later clarified on social media that he only apologized to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, not to Ambassador Huang Xilian as previously reported by Roque.