Beijing blames Manila for its low-level seat at ASEAN defence talks, and Teodoro pushes back

China's defence ministry on Thursday 29 October accused the Philippines of obstructing Chinese participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who chaired the meeting, rejected that account the same day and left the welcome of China's only representative to a deputy, according to AFP, Reuters and Philippine media.

What Beijing claimed

At a news conference in Beijing, a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson claimed that Manila had allowed certain politicians to use public office for private ends and had put multiple obstacles in the way of China's attendance, AFP reported. Rappler, citing Reuters, named the spokesperson as Zhang Xiaogang and said he claimed the conduct of an unnamed Filipino politician ran against the spirit of the meeting, broke diplomatic norms and infringed on China's legitimate rights. The spokesperson did not identify the politician or say what the obstacles were. Chinese state media have described the attendance of a defence attache as China's lowest level of representation since the forum began in 2010.

Manila's answer

Teodoro said ASEAN countries do not share the Chinese ministry's view of its participation and that no country has the right to characterise ASEAN processes, Reuters reported. He said it is for ASEAN to decide how countries are heard, and that the important fact was that China had been able to set out its position at the meeting.

China was represented by Senior Captain Yang Lei, its defence attache in Manila. Defense Undersecretary Ignacio Madriaga received Yang on Teodoro's behalf, while Teodoro personally welcomed the other delegations, including deputy defence ministers sent by ASEAN dialogue partners, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. At a press conference after the meeting, Teodoro said the decision was a matter of rank and that having an undersecretary receive the attache was more than courteous, according to Rappler.

Rappler set out how the invitation unfolded. On 23 October Teodoro said an invitation had gone to China in a letter signed by Madriaga. On 26 October he said he did not know whether Beijing had replied. On 27 October China's defence ministry announced that Yang would attend in place of Defence Minister Dong Jun. Rappler noted that hosts are in practice expected to invite every partner regardless of bilateral disputes.

A forum held under strain

In his opening remarks, Teodoro urged ASEAN members and their dialogue partners to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, settle disputes peacefully and renounce the threat or use of force, and to keep cooperation rooted in international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He did not name any country. The forum brought ASEAN members together with partners including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

The exchange adds to what Rappler described as the tensest phase yet in Philippine-China relations. Beijing imposed sanctions on Teodoro and his immediate family in June 2026 over his remarks about China, and earlier this month the Chinese ambassador in Manila was summoned and widely criticised for saying the Philippines should be grateful that China does not use force in their disputes.

Why it matters

The ADMM-Plus is the main yearly meeting where Southeast Asian defence chiefs sit with the region's major military powers, including the United States and China. Beijing's decision to send an embassy officer, and its public effort to blame Manila for that choice, means China's defence leadership was absent from the region's main defence forum while the Philippines held the chair. It also leaves the dispute over the South China Sea, where Chinese coast guard and naval vessels regularly challenge Philippine operations, without a ministerial-level Chinese voice in Cebu this year.