Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro dismissed a question from a Chinese military officer about a potential "proxy war" in Asia, calling it a "propaganda spiel disguised as a question."
The exchange occurred on Sunday during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.
In a video shared by the Department of National Defense (DND), Senior Colonel Zhang Chi of the People's Liberation Army raised the issue, linking U.S. military support in Asia to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"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, "To our Chinese interlocutors, I shall address you collectively and thank you for the propaganda spiels disguised as questions."
His remark drew applause from the audience.
The Defense Secretary further questioned China's claims of peaceful intentions.
"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," he said.
Teodoro emphasized that effective dialogue must be based on trust.
"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," he said.
"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, Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. criticized China Daily, a Chinese state-run newspaper, for what they called "malicious narratives" aimed at discrediting the Philippines' stance on the West Philippine Sea.
According to the AFP, China Daily violated protocol when its alleged journalists approached Brawner and used "selective footage" in a misleading 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," the AFP said in a statement.
Tensions between the Philippines and China continue to escalate in the West Philippine Sea, with repeated incidents of Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocking and using water cannons against Philippine resupply missions, particularly near Ayungin Shoal.
Despite these aggressive actions, the Philippines remains firm in asserting its sovereign rights under the 2016 Hague ruling and continues to conduct patrols and resupply operations.
