Teodoro dismisses Chinese officers’ ‘questions’ as propaganda in public forum

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. rebutted questions posed by some Chinese military officials regarding the West Philippine Sea as “propaganda” during a defense forum in Singapore.

In Ivan Mayrina’s Monday report on “24 Oras,” Teodoro made the statement at the Shangri-La Dialogue after a Chinese military official asked why the Philippines could not be like its neighboring countries, citing Malaysia and Vietnam, which engaged in dialogue on territorial issues and instead engaged in what he said were confrontations.

“Why can’t the Philippines do the same? Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar (Ibrahim) mentioned he, otherwise, your President to engage dialogue and communication with… China. So, will the Philippines follow his advice and change his current approach to the South China Sea issue or that the Philippine intent to act as a proxy for external powers?” said Senior Colonel Qi Dapeng, a professor at the National Security College and National Defense University in China.

“The United States is sending more arms to this region and setting up more military bases in the Philippines. Are you concerned that a proxy war in Asia might be launched?" asked Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, an associate professor at the same school.

In response, Teodoro said, “Thank you for the propaganda spiels disguised as questions. Let us not forget that while we are members of (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we are sovereign countries, each with its own territorial integrity and sovereignty. And I’m sure that if what China is doing to the Philippines is done to Malaysia or to any ASEAN country, you would see a different reaction."

Members of the audience applauded the defense secretary.

“I would like to reiterate that the Philippine position on the West Philippine Sea is not a function of Sino-American strategic rivalry. Instead, it is caused, no doubt, by the overreach of the Chinese Communist Party of which the most glaring evidence is the nine, 10 or 11-line that has absolutely no basis in international law,” Teodoro maintained, rebutting the Chinese narrative that the Philippines is the United States’ proxy and lackey.

The Filipino official stressed that trust is needed to engage in a dialogue with China with regards to the issues of the West Philippine Sea.

No official high-ranking delegates from Beijing attended the defense forum. Instead, Teodoro accused Beijing of sending intelligence agents posing as journalists.

Earlier, Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. slammed a report by Chinese media that the AFP official avoided their questions, and called it propaganda.
—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News