DEFENSE SECRETARY GILBERTO ‘GIBO’ C. TEODORO, JR. — GIBO.PH
BWORLD ONLINE | Published November 12, 2024
CANBERRA — China is putting ever-greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. said on Tuesday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.
“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area,” he said, adding that the Philippines is a “victim of Chinese aggression.”
China and the Philippines have sparred repeatedly this year over disputed areas of the South China Sea, including the Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most contested features.
Mr. Teodoro’s meeting with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, their fifth since August 2023, reflects growing security ties between the countries, both of which have expressed concern about Chinese activity in areas of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
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SOURCE: www.bworldonline.com
RELATED: Philippines says it is under pressure from China to cede claims in South China Sea
A Philippine supply boat sails during a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea on Oct 4, 2023. (File photo: REUTERS/Adrian Portugal)
CHANNEL NEWS ASIA | Published November 12, 2024
CANBERRA: China is stepping up pressure on the Philippines to concede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Manila’s Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after meeting his Australian counterpart in Canberra.
The fifth such meeting since August 2023 reflects growing security ties between the countries, which have both voiced concern about Chinese activity in areas of the busy waterway claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area,” Teodoro said after meeting Australian counterpart Richard Marles, adding that the Philippines was a “victim of Chinese aggression”.
The two countries signed a strategic partnership in September 2023 before holding their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea months later. This year, the Philippines also joined war games in Australia for the first time.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing has taken measures to assert its rights after the Philippines “infringed first”.
“If the Philippines no longer infringes and provokes, there will be no more escalation of the maritime situation,” Lin Jian told a press briefing.
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