On the 16th, the Chinese Embassy in Manila lodged a diplomatic protest regarding a post by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Tarriela, who shared a cartoon image of Chinese President Xi Jinping on social media.
According to AFP, since last week, Tarriela and officials from the Chinese Embassy have been engaging in online exchanges over the South China Sea dispute.
On the 14th, Tarriela posted on Facebook a photo of himself giving a speech, with the background featuring a collage of cartoon images of Xi Jinping under the slogan "Why does China continue to bully?"
The Chinese Embassy issued a statement, strongly condemning the post as "an attack and smearing of the Chinese leader."
The statement said that this action "seriously infringes on China’s political dignity," and criticized it as a "blatant political provocation that has crossed the red line."
In response, Tarriela said China’s protest was "an attempt to muddy the issue and divert attention from China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea," using the Philippine term for the disputed waters to refer to the area west of the Philippines.
Tarriela stated, "If the Chinese Embassy opposes any form of legitimate public discussion or even satire to expose these illegal acts through images or other expressions, it only shows China’s unease over the truth being revealed," and he criticized China's response as "an attempt at intimidation."