Politics · Other · 1 hr ago
Philippines backs China ties but rejects military communication channel
The Philippines sent two different messages to China on October 13.
A spokeswoman for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said Manila was committed to maintaining diplomatic and economic ties with Beijing.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rejected military-to-military communication with China, with the armed forces publicly backing him.
Teodoro said contact should instead pass through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Marcos said the approaches are not contradictory and serve the same goal through different channels.
The difference matters because Manila is signalling that it wants ties with China while keeping defence communications under civilian foreign-affairs control.
The sources do not say what happens next.
The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to diplomatic and economic ties with China while rejecting a military-to-military communication channel.
Both messages were delivered on October 13.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said communications should go through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said the diplomatic and defence approaches were not contradictory and served the same objective.
- Who
- Philippine officials, including Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
- What
- The Philippines backed diplomatic and economic ties with China but rejected a military-to-military communication channel.
- When
- October 13; the year is not stated in the article.
- Where
- Malacañang Palace, in Manila, and the Philippines.
- Why
- Marcos said the diplomatic and defence arms of his administration pursued the same objective through different approaches.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A presidential spokeswoman reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to diplomatic and economic ties with China.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rejected a call for military-to-military communication with China.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr defended the two messages as different approaches to the same objective.
- Date of statements
- October 13
- Presidential spokeswoman’s message
- Commitment to diplomatic and economic ties with China
- Defence secretary
- Gilberto Teodoro Jnr
- Preferred communications route
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- President
- Ferdinand Marcos Jnr
1 source
What people are saying
China needs the Philippines, and the Philippines needs China
the proper communications flow is through the Department of Foreign Affairs, not through us