Beijing has condemned remarks by Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, saying the comments seriously damaged bilateral trust and showed a lack of gratitude for Chinese aid.
China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on Manila to take action to prevent “a few clowns” from sabotaging bilateral ties through repeated political theatrics, as ties between the two neighbours remained strained.
On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Teodoro said during an interview with Reuters on Saturday that the Philippines remained under “severe threat territory-wise and politically too by China”.
The Philippine defence secretary also stated that China had failed to show genuine good faith on a sustained basis, despite reports that Beijing had offered fertiliser and fuel to the Philippines during shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.
“No matter how they sugarcoat their assistance to us, it doesn’t cut the mustard,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s actually guileful.”
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused Teodoro of making “wrong comments on China on multiple occasions”.
“His latest statements once again show that he completely disregards the well-being of the Filipino people, has absolutely no sense of gratitude, pursues only personal gain and is even willing to turn livelihood issues into political theatre,” Mao said.
“This seriously damages China-Philippines relations and mutual trust, completely contrary to the interests of the Philippines and its people,” she added.
The conflict in the Middle East has triggered an economic emergency in the Philippines, leading to supply disruptions and sharp price increases in fuel and fertiliser – two critical imports for the archipelagic nation.
In an interview with Bloomberg on March 24, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr noted that China had been helpful in offering fertilisers.
“We’ve always tried to differentiate the territorial disputes from our trade arrangements and many investments still ... are coming from China,” he said.
“And they have not used this or somehow they haven’t leveraged this in any way. In quite the contrary, they’ve been very helpful in terms of, for example, fertiliser,” Marcos added.
During the interview, the Philippine leader also expressed openness to resuming discussions with Beijing on jointly developing natural gas resources in the disputed South China Sea.
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jnr said in March – after meeting with China’s top envoy to Manila Jing Quan – that Beijing had assured the Philippines it would not freeze exporting fertilisers to the Southeast Asian nation despite the war in the Middle East.
Mao warned on Tuesday that the Philippine government should “carefully” consider the potential implications of Teodoro’s remarks.
“If such individuals are allowed to act with impunity, how can China continue to provide supplies and assistance to the Philippines?” she cautioned.
“Philippine leaders have repeatedly stated their willingness to properly manage differences with China and promote the easing of bilateral relations,” Mao added.
“We hope the Philippine side will act in accordance with its words, strictly rein in the remarks and actions of its officials, and not let a few individual clowns keep undermining efforts to stabilise bilateral ties.”
The tit-for-tat exchange of sharp remarks coincided with escalating tensions between China and the Philippines after Manila and Tokyo agreed to launch maritime boundary negotiations, a move that has drawn a strong backlash from Beijing.
Frictions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea have worsened in recent years. Speaking to a Sunday panel at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Teodoro singled out China as the biggest obstacle to efforts to conclude a long-negotiated code of conduct for the contested waterway.
During a visit by Vietnam’s top leader To Lam, Marcos stated on Monday that Manila and Hanoi “affirm that maintaining peace, stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea remain non-negotiable”. The two Southeast Asian countries, along with China, have overlapping claims in the strategic waterway. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
