China called for “basic manners” and cautioned against “megaphone diplomacy” after Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. lashed out at Beijing in an offensive tweet.
On Monday, Locsin told China in a tweet to “get the f— out” as the two countries engaged in a war of words over the South China Sea. The secretary has been a vocal China critic in President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and is known for his occasional blunt remarks.
In several tweets over the subsequent days, Locsin apologized to Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and said he was “provoked by the latest grossest territorial violation.” Meanwhile, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque reportedly said the Philippine president has reminded officials that profanity has no place in diplomacy.