Teodoro calls Chinese officer’s proxy war question ‘propaganda’

Gilberto Teodoro Jr, Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. rejected what he called “propaganda spiels disguised as questions” from a Chinese officer during a defense dialogue in Singapore, responding to a query suggesting the possibility of a proxy war in Asia.

In a video shared by the Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday, Teodoro was questioned by Senior Col. Zhang Chi about the proxy war in Europe.

“Recently, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Russian-Ukraine war is a proxy war between nuclear powers and needs to be ended. Meanwhile, the United States is sending more arms to this region and setting up more military bases in the Philippines. So, if the proxy war in Europe needs to be ended, are you concerned that a proxy war in Asia might be launched?” Chi asked.

Teodoro responded bluntly: “To our Chinese interlocutors, I shall address you collectively and thank you for the propaganda spiels disguised as questions.”

His remark drew immediate applause from the audience.

READ: AFP: China paper twisting narratives

He continued:

“China says that it has peaceful intentions. Why does it continue to deny the Philippines its rightful provenance under international law and Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)? And as proof of this, we do not stand alone. None have agreed with China and none has condemned the Philippines for standing up against China in the face of a threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

“Thus, for dialogue to be effective, it must be coupled with trust. And China has a lot of trust-building to do to be an effective negotiating partner in dispute settlement. We have to call a spade a spade. And that’s what we see, and that is the biggest stumbling block to dispute resolution or dialogue with China,” he added.

Earlier at the sidelines of the same event in Singapore, Teodoro and Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), slammed a report by Chinese state newspaper China Daily, which they said contained “malicious narratives.”

The narrative was supposedly aimed at discrediting the Philippines’ stance on the West Philippine Sea.

According to the AFP, alleged journalists approached Brawner, violated protocol, and used “selective footage” in the China Daily article titled “Philippine military chief dodges questions.”

“This article is a blatant piece of propaganda aimed at discrediting the AFP and undermining the Philippines’ position in the West Philippine Sea,” it said.

Beijing continues to assert sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including much of the West Philippine Sea, in defiance of the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its claims in favor of Manila/mcm