China imposed sanctions on Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, accusing him of making remarks that damaged bilateral ties and raising tensions in a relationship already strained by territorial disputes.
The secretary and his immediate family are banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. Organizations and people in China are also prohibited from cooperating or transacting with Teodoro, his spouse and children.
Teodoro is the most senior Philippine official known to have been sanctioned by Beijing. The move comes as the Philippines signals closer ties with Taiwan and begins maritime border talks with Japan.
Photo: AP
Teodoro yesterday said it is Beijing’s right to impose sanctions, but expressed defiance.
“That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth against their deception,” he said. “I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas.”
Beijing did not say which remarks prompted the sanctions, but they cap weeks of sharpening rhetoric. At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore late last month, Teodoro called China’s offers of fertilizer and fuel “guileful,” accusing Beijing of “sugarcoating” its assistance as the war in Iran drives up prices.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) fired back last week, saying Teodoro was “known to vilify China.”
“The Philippine side needs to ask themselves: If people like him are allowed to do whatever they want, how exactly can China continue to provide supplies and aid to the Philippines? Who should pay the price?” she said.
Teodoro during an interview on the forum’s sidelines said the Philippines seeks closer ties with Taiwan and stronger military links with countries focused on deterring China’s “nefarious plans.”
Manila and Tokyo have announced maritime border talks covering waters east of Taiwan, a move that prompted China’s countermeasures and further strained relations.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr last month warned that Manila would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity.
The Teodoro sanctions follow a familiar script. Last year, China imposed similar travel curbs on a former Philippine senator after accusing him of improper behavior on issues related to China. Francis Tolentino, now Philippine secretary of labor and employment, called China’s action “a badge of honor.”
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that while sanctions fall within China’s prerogative, Manila views the move as “an unfriendly act that further complicates the bilateral relations.”
“Such measures do not contribute to building mutual trust, managing differences responsibly or creating the conditions necessary for constructive engagement between our two countries,” it said.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world’s tallest church. A fireworks and light show illuminated the exterior of the temple at the end of the ceremony, bathing the unfinished basilica in shifting colours that highlighted its towering spires. A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes and was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The stained-glass windows in various colours shone brightly in between the tree-like
A coalition of civil rights groups on Tuesday asked a New York State judge to order one of its largest suburban counties to stop its deployment of nearly 600 license plate readers, calling it a warrantless and “indiscriminate surveillance system” that violates the state constitution. The class action lawsuit also alleged that Westchester County never got proper authorization to launch the program, which has amassed a database of 1.6 billion plate scans that has been shared with more than 50 outside law enforcement agencies. The complaint said the network “records the long-term travel patterns, daily habits, and intimate information of millions of
Scientists have discovered communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a whale graveyard. The graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, which is up to 7km below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area, and is so far the deepest found. A whale’s sheer size and the unique chemistry of its bones are the keys to forming these unique underwater neighborhoods, said Song Xikun (宋希坤), a biologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering
IMAGE ‘DAMAGED’? Ted Tseng, who emigrated to the US from Taiwan, was concerned the espionage case would deepen animosity against Asian Americans In 2024, voters in the Southern California city of Arcadia elected the first all-Asian city council in the city’s history. Now, one of those politicians has pleaded guilty to being an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Former Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang’s (王愛琳) plea, entered in federal court on Friday last year, continues a saga that some residents of the area worry could bring unfair scrutiny on the broader Chinese and Asian American community. Arcadia has gone under rapid demographic change in the past two decades as immigrants from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong flocked to the San Gabriel Valley
RSS