MINCING NO WORDS Among the key officials of the Marcos administration, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (right) is the latest to make the most scathing statements against Beijing in relation to the South China Sea dispute. He is photographed here attending a military exercise in Tarlac on March 22, 2024. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Wednesday issued a strong rebuke of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s recent comments against the Communist Party of China (CPC) as he defended Philippine plans to acquire midrange missiles from the United States.
Ticking off the embassy once again was Teodoro’s statement on Tuesday accusing the founding and sole ruling party of communist China of interfering in internal Philippine affairs when it warned that Manila’s weapons upgrade could intensify geopolitical confrontations and trigger a regional arms race.
The defense chief then said: “If the [CPC] is truly intent on reducing tensions and instability in the region, they should cease their saber rattling, stop their provocative actions, halt their interference in other countries’ internal affairs, withdraw their illegal presence from the Philippines’ (exclusive economic zone), and adhere to international law.”
Teodoro, who had his first stint as defense chief during the Arroyo administration, accused the CPC of expanding its nuclear arsenal and ballistic missile capability, sponsoring criminal syndicates and subversive organizations beyond its borders, and refusing to uphold human rights within China.
Against de-escalation
The Chinese Embassy on Wednesday said Teodoro was not only “baselessly smear[ing] China and maliciously attacking” the CPC, but also contradicting President Marcos’ directive to ease tensions in the South China Sea through dialogue.
Such statements, it said, undermined ongoing diplomatic efforts between Manila and Beijing to address differences through communication and consultation.
“[T]his is not the first time the incumbent Philippine [defense secretary] made such unprofessional and ludicrous remarks. In addition to habitually attacking and smearing China and its ruling party, he personally impedes and obstructs mil-to-mil (military-to-military) contacts and exchanges between China and the Philippines,” the embassy said in a statement.
Army plan disclosed
It also reiterated its call for Manila to withdraw the Typhon missile system that the US Army brought to the Philippines earlier this year for large-scale military exercises. Its arrival marked the first deployment of the US weapon system in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier this week, the Philippine Army disclosed plans to accelerate the acquisition of a midrange capability missile system, though not necessarily with the Typhon.
“It is planned to be acquired because we see its feasibility and its functionality in our comprehensive archipelagic defense concept implementation,” Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said.
Hours after Galido’s briefing, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, called the plan “an extremely irresponsible choice for the history of its own people and the people of Southeast Asia, as well as for regional security.”