Teodoro: China has ‘tendency of using talks against us’

Defense Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Foreign Sec. Enrique Manalo —Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said the Philippine and Chinese militaries had yet to meet and discuss escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea since he took over his post in June 2023, and that he didn’t see both sides coming to the table at this point.

“No, because they (the Chinese) have the tendency of using the talks against us. They have not proven a level of good faith that would warrant our sensitive department to talk to them,” Teodoro said in a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

A fellow Cabinet member, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, said Manila had been working hard to bring Beijing back to the talks, but that the latter’s aggressive behavior in WPS had been “inconsistent” with the stated policies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

READ: Brawner slams China’s ‘piracy’ in West Philippine Sea

The two officials made the remarks on the general state of Philippine-Chinese relations in the diplomatic and military fronts during a Senate inquiry on the June 17 incident where China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels blocked a Philippine Navy resupply mission to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre, the Filipino military outpost at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

The encounter was generally considered the most direct and hostile Chinese action yet against Filipino troops, with CCG personnel wielding bladed weapons and damaging Philippine Navy rubber boats. Officials said one Filipino sailor lost his thumb as a result of the CCG’s “high-speed ramming” of his craft.

Can’t follow US lead

According to Teodoro, there has never been any military-to-military talks between the two countries regarding maritime incidents since he took the helm of the Department of National Defense.

He said no such meeting would happen “until some fundamental processes have been settled, with no recriminations.”

He also said no when asked by Sen. Imee Marcos, who presided over the hearing as chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, if it would be possible to follow the lead of the United States, which she said was now engaging in such talks with China.

“No, Ma’am, because they have not displayed a level of trust and confidence that would make myself confident enough to engage them on a fair and level-playing-field basis,” he said.

No mere ‘misunderstanding’

Teodoro reiterated that the June 17 incident was a “deliberate, aggressive action by China and an illegal use of force.”

“So it is not a misunderstanding or an accident. And that is for the record, Ma’am, under oath,” he added, clarifying the terms used by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in a statement issued from Malacañang on Friday. Teodoro said this was the position of the executive branch and that Bersamin’s earlier statement was a “preliminary assessment” of the incident.

At the same hearing, Manalo explained there was bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) already in place with regards to the South China Sea, and that preparatory meeting was held last week for possibly a meeting in early July “with our Chinese counterparts, specifically to discuss the recent incidents.”

“Also to see whether we can arrive at some understanding… some kind of confidence-building measures which could hopefully create a basis then for more serious discussions to see how we can address these other issues,” Manalo added.

‘Incomprehensible’

He said he wanted to see the result of the BCM discussions first before pursuing a possible “higher-level meeting.”

According to Manalo, the Department of Foreign Affairs had denounced the Chinese actions on June 17 and underscored how it left a Filipino sailor injured and Philippine vessels damaged.

“We sternly communicated to our counterparts (in China) that it was really incomprehensible how the delivery of basic necessities to our troops on the BRP Sierra Madre could be considered a provocation that would justify an increased level of Chinese actions. We believe their actions only intensified and escalated tensions and certainly, it’s something we should be concerned about,” he stressed.

“And while we have a policy, still, as agreed by President Marcos and President Xi Jinping, that we agreed our government should seek to manage our maritime differences and not let incidents define our bilateral relations, it’s clear that many of these recent incidents by China are inconsistent with this declared intention,” he added.