Philippine summons Chinese envoy over sanctions on former senator

The Philippines on Tuesday said it summoned the Chinese ambassador to formally convey concern over Beijing's decision to impose sanctions on former Senator Francis N. Tolentino, local media reported.

In a diplomatic demarche delivered to Ambassador Huang Xilian at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last Friday, Manila said that sanctioning a democratically elected official for performing his legislative duties is "inconsistent with the norms of mutual respect and dialogue that underpin relations between two equal sovereign states," Politiko reported.

The DFA said that Philippine senators, including Tolentino during his term, are constitutionally mandated to conduct inquiries into matters of national and public interest, a fundamental aspect of their legislative role.

"The imposition of punitive measures against officials for performing their duties undermines the spirit of diplomacy and mutual understanding," it said.

Manila reiterated its commitment to addressing differences with Beijing through diplomacy and constructive dialogue, despite the latter's move.

Beijing, last week, imposed sanctions on Tolentino for his "egregious conduct" on Chinese-related issues.

The ban prohibits Tolentino from entering the Chinese mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao.