'No change' in Phl defense policy despite Marcos-Xi interaction at 32nd  APEC—Gibo

Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Sunday emphasized that the country’s defense policy over its territorial sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) remains intact.

“The policy does not change,” Teodoro said, despite the recent interaction between President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea (ROK).

On Saturday, Marcos unexpectedly approached Xi and shook his hand, catching the Chinese leader off guard during a brief pause at the ceremonial handover of next year’s APEC chairmanship from South Korea to China.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seated behind Xi, was also taken by surprise as Marcos approached the Chinese leader, who had just settled in after posing for a photo with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the current APEC chair.

Marcos described the gesture as a celebratory handshake.

“I congratulated President Xi Jinping as China assumes the APEC Chairmanship in 2026, and reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to partnership and meaningful cooperation in our region,” Marcos later wrote on his Facebook page.

For Teodoro, the encounter does not signal a shift in the country’s defense policy, particularly on the WPS.

“Our job really is to pursue Philippine resilience and uphold international law. So our defense engagements under President Marcos are subject to a plan already and subject to guidance.”

Teodoro emphasized that defense engagements under Marcos are guided by pre-existing plans and structured around two key pillars: internal resilience and hardening, and defense partnerships with like-minded countries.

“So we cannot put any meaning into the gesture of President Marcos of approaching President Xi Jinping. Probably it’s a personal gesture, but the policy does not change,” Teodoro told reporters.

The Chinese government has taken an assertive stance in the WPS, reinforcing its disputed territorial claims based on its so-called nine-dash line.

The Philippines, in contrast, has firmly upheld its “final and unassailable sovereignty” over its national territory, including the WPS, and has categorically rejected China’s claims as “baseless” and “self-serving.”