China sends its Manila defence attache, not its defence minister, to ASEAN defence talks in Cebu

China will be represented at this week's ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu by the defence attache at its embassy in the Philippines rather than by Defence Minister Dong Jun. The Chinese defence ministry announced the arrangement on 27 October, saying the attache would attend the 13th ADMM-Plus session on 29 October as the head of the Chinese side.

According to the ministry's statement, the Chinese delegation will exchange views with other participants on keeping up dialogue and consultation and on building mutual understanding and trust. The ministry said China would also restate its firm support for ASEAN's central role in the regional security architecture. Those are Beijing's own descriptions of its aims, and the statement gave no reason for the minister's absence.

Reuters, in a report carried by Devdiscourse, confirmed that the Chinese ministry had named the attache as its representative for the Cebu meeting this week. Yonhap noted that the ministry did not explain why Dong would stay away or why it chose an embassy officer to lead the delegation.

A sharp drop in rank

The choice marks a steep cut in representation. Yonhap reported that Dong attended the ADMM-Plus in person in both 2024, in Vientiane, and 2025, in Kuala Lumpur. At the 2023 meeting China was represented by Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng, a deputy chief of staff in the Central Military Commission's Joint Staff Department.

Yonhap said some observers link the downgrade to Beijing's quarrel with the Philippines, this year's ASEAN chair and the host of the meeting. The two countries have repeatedly clashed over the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese coast guard ships and Philippine vessels have faced off and each side accuses the other of violating its maritime rights. That interpretation comes from Yonhap's reporting, not from the Chinese government.

Manila was still waiting

The announcement came after Manila had said publicly that it did not know who Beijing would send. At a briefing in Cebu earlier on 27 October, Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said an invitation had been extended but that the ministry had no confirmation of China's attendees when asked whether Dong would come, the Daily Tribune reported.

The Daily Tribune also reported that the Philippine Navy in September invited a Chinese navy warship to join an ADMM-Plus maritime security exercise in the West Philippine Sea, and that Beijing did not respond to that invitation.

The meetings in Lapu-Lapu City run from 26 to 30 October, with the main ministerial sessions on 28 and 29 October at the Mactan Expo Center, according to the same report. Andolong said the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea were expected to come up, as they usually do at the forum. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. leads the host delegation.

Other dialogue partners are sending their ministers. The ADMM-Plus brings together the ASEAN members and eight partners: South Korea, China, Japan, the United States, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand. Yonhap reported that South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are both expected in Cebu and are due to hold a face-to-face meeting there.

With the main ministerial sessions starting on 28 October, China's choice means Beijing will be heard in the room, but by a much more junior officer than the ministers who represent most other partners.