Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. highlighted China’s increasing pressure on the Philippines to relinquish its rights in the West Philippine Sea, despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s extensive claims.
Teodoro criticized China’s growing illegal activities in the WPS, which include the presence of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters and the use of maritime militias.
“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area because of our need to explore and exploit the resources in these areas for the benefit of our own people,” Teodoro stated at a press briefing in Canberra following his meeting with Australian counterpart Richard Marles.
He emphasized that the Philippines remains vigilant against these threats, while also facing domestic criminal activities involving Chinese nationals, such as fake citizenships and illegal economies.
Teodoro noted that China’s “grey zone” tactics, including deploying maritime militias under the guise of law enforcement, have intensified.
In response, he reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to strengthening its defense and deterrence capabilities and criticized China’s failure to resolve the maritime dispute despite ongoing consultations.
“And that is clear: we don’t need to enter into a geopolitical nexus for determining the root cause of the problem because we are direct victims of Chinese aggression in this concentrated area so far, thus far, in the [WPS],” he remarked.
