Teodoro to China: Philippines has been more than responsible

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday challenged China to demonstrate the same restraint exercised by the Philippines amid renewed diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.

“We are always responsible. We hope we see the same kind of responsibility on the Chinese side. I mean we have been more than responsible. We have been very careful,” Teodoro said.

The defense chief made the remarks on the sidelines of Misamis Occidental's fourth Araw ng Parangal in response to a telephone conversation Tuesday between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.

During the call, both countries agreed to responsibly manage their differences, stabilize bilateral relations and pursue areas of mutual interest.

Wang, however, also urged Manila to exercise prudence in its statements and actions concerning maritime disputes and to adhere to the one-China policy.

Teodoro maintained that the Philippines has been truthful in raising concerns about China's actions in the West Philippine Sea and should not be pressured into remaining silent.

"We're just telling the truth. What is prudence? Tell a lie? So if what we're doing is the truth and I can say it's the truth and they say it's imprudent, they want us to tell a lie. Is that what they want or to hide the truth?" Teodoro said.

He also questioned whether Beijing's call for restraint meant setting aside the Philippines' rights under the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated China's sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea.

"Kalimutan na natin ang arbitral award, yan ba ang gusto nila?" he asked.

Teodoro stressed that he takes his instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., not from China's foreign minister.

"So kung ako ang pinapatutsadahan, nakikinig lang ako sa Presidente ng Republika ng Pilipinas, hindi kay Wang Yi," he said.

Responding to China's reminder about the one-China policy, Teodoro maintained that the Philippines had not violated its diplomatic commitments.

"Have we violated the one China policy?" he asked.

The defense chief explained that his social media page had merely reposted information concerning Taiwan, insisting that the government had never recognized the self-governing island as an independent country.

"The one China policy is for us to decide and we have not recognized Taiwan as an independent country. That is the long and the short of it," he said.

Teodoro also defended the right of Philippine officials to discuss the country's economic and people-to-people relations with Taiwan.

He questioned whether mentioning trade, investment and the presence of Filipino workers in Taiwan should be considered a violation of the one-China policy.

The remarks came amid heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over maritime disputes and increasingly sharp exchanges between Philippine officials and the Chinese Embassy.

Despite the disagreements, the Department of Foreign Affairs described Tuesday's conversation as frank, pragmatic and constructive, with both sides emphasizing continued dialogue, mutual respect and peaceful management of disputes.