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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
January 27, 2026 | 3:02pm
Davao Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte welcomes His Excellency Jing Quan, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines, on Jan. 26, 2026, in Davao City.
Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan met with leaders of the local governments in Cebu and Davao this week — visits that took place as the embassy traded verbal jabs with Philippine lawmakers and other officials over their disagreements on the South China Sea.
On Tuesday, January 27, the Chinese ambassador met with Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival. They discussed boosting economic cooperation and protecting Chinese nationals and the Filipino-Chinese community from crime, among others, according to an embassy social media post.
The same day, Jing visited Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte for a two-day trip aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and local cooperation, according to a post by Duterte's official Facebook page.
The visits happened as 15 senators yesterday signed a resolution condemning the Chinese embassy for violations of diplomatic conduct and whipping up hostility and tensions. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said it made "firm representations" with the embassy over its spokesperson's escalating and stinging rebukes of Filipino public officials.
Details of the ambassador's visit and meeting with Duterte were not immediately available at the time of posting. Philstar.com has reached out to the embassy and will update this article with their response.
Chinese firms are building the Davao-Samal Island Connector bridge with a $350 million concessional Chinese loan. Meanwhile, the China-funded Davao River Bridge was earlier scheduled to open by the end of 2025.
Both projects were initiated under Baste's father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who pursued closer ties with Beijing during his term from 2016 to 2022.
Since Jing became ambassador in December 2025, the Chinese embassy has repeatedly and publicly called out Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, senators, and lawmakers over their public statements on the West Philippine Sea. The embassy has accused them of spreading lies that misrepresent their claims to nearly the entire South China Sea and of the international laws that guide maritime disputes.
