Jing Quan

Jing Quan (; born July 1975) is a Chinese senior diplomat serving as Chinese ambassador to the Philippines since December 2025. A US-China relations veteran who served China's Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in the US during the first and second term of President Donald Trump, he replaced Huang Xilian amidst tensions over the South China Sea.

Career Jing entered foreign service in 1997, serving as attaché at the Chinese embassy in Thailand. becoming a close aide to State Councillor Yang Jieche in 2013.

From 2018 to 2021, he served as deputy director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs. From 2021, he was minister at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC and appointed as deputy chief of mission at the same embassy until 2025. He was one of the attendees of the November 2018 bilateral diplomatic and security dialogue, alongside Chinese minister of defence Wei Fenghe and US state secretary Mike Pompeo, and one of the trade negotiators during the first and second term of President Donald Trump.

Philippines

He arrived in the Philippines on December 6, 2025 and was eventually designated as the Chinese ambassador to the country. This is in contrast with his two previous predecessors, Huang Xilian and Zhao Jianhua, who had backgrounds in Asian affairs. As ambassador, he assured the Bongbong Marcos administration that China is dedicated to negotiating a South China Sea code of conduct with ASEAN.

Public criticism of Philippine officials

Under Jing, the Chinese embassy has been described as being "more strident, assertive, and provocative" in reiterating China's position in the South China Sea dispute compared to his predecessor, Huang Xilian. Since January 2026, the Chinese embassy had social media posts and public statements attacking Philippine senior officials, including Philippine Coast Guard's West Philippine Sea spokesman Jay Tarriela, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Representative Leila de Lima. De Lima called the accusations "wrongful and groundless."

As a result of the Chinese embassy's public criticisms, the municipal council of Kalayaan, Palawan declared Jing as persona non grata. Responding to this action by the municipality, China had reportedly banned 16 Kalayaan officials from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau on February 10, 2026. In a Chinese New Year reception that same day, Jing reiterated his position that China and the Philippines should "find ways" to manage differences. However, he also warned that Beijing will "firmly" oppose any "false narratives" and "misinformation" damaging China's reputation. The Malacañang Palace expressed non-interference with the Chinese government's decision on the travel ban.

Media In January 2026, Jing met with executives from eight Mandarin news outlets in the Philippines, urging them to "cooperate closely" with the embassy. Jing also urged the Philippine media to "uphold objectivity and fairness, allow the public to hear authentic voices from all sides, not just one side."

Diplomatic style Huang Jing, a dean at Beijing Language and Culture University, described Jing as a "soft-spoken pragmatist" in comparison with a wolf warrior diplomat and had an "experienced American hand". William Yang, a senior analyst of Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group, called him an experienced negotiator. According to Cito Beltran of The Philippine Star, Jing "could be mistaken more for a general than an ambassador," noting his appearance and body posture.

Selected publications