Romana speaks during a forum on the South China Sea. (AP)The Philippines’ ambassador to China, Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana was a longtime resident of China and had been a correspondent for ABC News prior to being appointed ambassador in 2016. Romana was appointed ambassador to China in 2016 “in recognition of his deep knowledge of China’s history and people,” the department said in a statement. China has refused to recognize a 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that mostly invalidated China’s South China Sea claims and continues to claim the strategic waterway and its resources virtually in its entirety.

Source: The Standard April 19, 2022 16:29 UTC