In a strong rebuke to China’s assertive territorial claims, the Philippine Defense Secretary criticized the superpower’s extensive sovereignty assertions in the South China Sea on Monday, branding them as “the biggest fiction and lie” that no Southeast Asian nation would accept. This declaration comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aggressive tactics reportedly erode the positive international relations previously fostered by his predecessors.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro issued his firm statement against China’s increasingly aggressive maneuvers in the region, coinciding with reports from the Philippine coast guard about recent confrontations with Chinese forces at the Scarborough Shoal. These territorial disputes continue to be a flashpoint in the contested waterway.
During a routine patrol by a Philippine aircraft over Scarborough, a Chinese military helicopter was observed appearing to monitor the plane, though it maintained a distance. Additionally, Chinese forces have installed a floating barrier to bar Filipino fishermen from accessing the shoal’s lagoon, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine coast guard.
Chinese officials have yet to comment on the matter, though they have consistently claimed historical sovereign control over Scarborough Shoal and the broader South China Sea. However, this stance contradicts an international arbitration ruling from 2016, conducted under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, which nullified China’s extensive territorial claims. Beijing, however, refused to recognize and abide by this ruling.
At a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Philippine military’s Western Command in Palawan province, which faces the South China Sea, Teodoro highlighted the importance of bolstering national defense and maintaining security engagements with ally nations to contend with the perceived threat from China’s robust posture in these strategic waters.
Teodoro emphasized to Filipino troops that no member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) acknowledges China’s 10-dash line claim to legitimacy. He criticized this as a significant untruth that any discerning individual would reject.
ASEAN, a cooperative bloc of ten countries, has been striving to put together a nonaggression agreement with China aimed at mitigating potential escalations in these territorial disputes. Southeast Asian nations involved include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, alongside Taiwan, which echoes China’s claimed maritime boundaries.
Furthermore, Teodoro attributed responsibility for China’s harsh and illegal policies not to the Chinese populace or prior leadership but to President Xi, accusing him of fostering a “small dictatorship and autocracy” within the Communist Party of China.
China’s assertive maneuvers are reportedly driving the Philippines to deepen its defense relationships with other sovereignties. Teodoro revealed that the Philippines plans to enter a visiting forces agreement with New Zealand next month, enabling military cooperation; similar negotiations with Canada are nearing completion.
He also noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the initiation of talks with France to establish a comparable agreement. Moreover, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated for a forthcoming meeting with Teodoro in Manila. The discussions will focus on China’s activities in the contested waters and reinforcing the sustained U.S.-Philippines defense alliance.