MANILA, Philippines — “Never ever point anything at my country unless you’re looking for a fight.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. issued this warning as he stood by the diplomatic protest filed by Manila over a Chinese vessel’s act of aiming a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship.

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This after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana surmised that the Chinese warship may just have been testing for reaction by the Philippines when the former readied its guns for firing at a Philippine Navy vessel.

While saying it was “offensive,” the defense chief also said the Chinese ship did not intend to harm the Philippine Navy ship.

“Well we passed the test; I slapped them back. Don’t even dream of pointing anything at my country,” Locsin said in a tweet Tuesday night as a reaction to Lorenzana’s statement.

Well we passed the test; I slapped them back. Don't even dream of pointing anything at my country. Wanna point then fire away. Let's see where that takes us. But never ever point anything at my country unless you're looking for a fight. I know my soldiers. https://t.co/ZnPEMh2DIA — Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) April 28, 2020

“Wanna point then fire away. Let’s see where that takes us. But never ever point anything at my country unless you’re looking for a fight. I know my soldiers,” he added.

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The foreign affairs chief said he “just interpret(ed) actions (and) responded accordingly” when he filed the protest.

“(A)s the country’s chief diplomat I don’t do mind-reading,” Locsin said in a separate tweet.

But on the other hand as the country's chief diplomat I don't do mind-reading; I just interpret actions & respond accordingly. I won't tolerate anyone pointing at me or my countrymen unless they're admirers; then I expect the pointing to be accompanied by a shower of petals. https://t.co/zi2RLYeBBe — Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) April 28, 2020

“I won’t tolerate anyone pointing at me or my countrymen unless they’re admirers; then I expect the pointing to be accompanied by a shower of petals,” he added.

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In a more recent tweet on Wednesday, Locsin said he would no longer be making any more comments regarding the issue.

“This is the last word on the subject that I already warned everybody is strictly my exclusive competence and jurisdiction under the President and nobody else in the government,” he said.

This is the last word on the subject that I already warned everybody is strictly my exclusive competence and jurisdiction under the President and nobody else in the government. https://t.co/QvlfrTBU9S — Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) April 28, 2020

The radar gun incident was the basis of one of the two diplomatic protests the Philippines lodged against Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

The other protest involved China’s move to “(declare) parts of Philippine territory as part of Hainan province” with the creation of two administrative districts in the South China Sea.

/MUF

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