Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that the Philippines’ defense posture and partnerships remain unchanged following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s brief interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit.
“I really don’t know because our job really is to pursue Philippine resilience and uphold international law,” Teodoro told reporters on Sunday.
He explained that the Marcos administration’s defense strategy is guided by two main pillars: strengthening the country’s internal resilience and hardening and defense cooperation with like-minded nations.
“Our defense engagements under President Marcos are subject to a plan and guidance. The first pillar is internal resilience and hardening. The second is our defense partnerships and convergence with like-minded countries,” Teodoro said.
“We cannot put any meaning into the gesture of President Marcos approaching President Xi Jinping. Probably it’s a personal gesture, but the policy does not change,” he added.
Video footage from APEC 2025 KOREA and Yonhap News shows Mr. Marcos approaching a seated Chinese president and extending his hand in a cordial gesture, which drew multiple interpretations from observers.
