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”.
