CHINA accused Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. of deliberately delaying its invitation to the 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, disputing a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official’s claim that Beijing disrespected the regional bloc by sending only a defense attaché.
In a Facebook post late on Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said the Department of National Defense (DND) sent China’s invitation only on Oct. 22, leaving the Chinese delegation fewer than five working days to prepare for the Oct. 29 meeting.
The embassy said other ADMM-Plus member states had received their invitations in late September or early October, giving them more time to arrange their participation.
“Only after other ASEAN countries expressed strong opposition to such acts that the Philippines Department of National Defense reluctantly sent an invitation letter to China on October 22,” it said.
It also claimed that the invitation letter was signed by a DND undersecretary who did not indicate a date on the document, while China was given only two days to complete its registration.
“Under such circumstances, it was virtually impossible to complete the necessary preparation,” the embassy said.
The DND did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comments.
The embassy accused Mr. Teodoro of acting out of self-interest and disregarding the ADMM-Plus principles of openness and inclusivity.
It further said that while Mr. Teodoro took a position contrary to the “ASEAN Way,” China had never singled out the Philippines in its multilateral defense cooperation with ASEAN. Despite the allegedly tight deadline, the embassy said China still managed to send a delegation to the meeting.
The embassy’s remarks were in response to an earlier Sunday Facebook post by PCG spokesperson Jay Tristan Tarriela, who questioned China’s decision to send only its embassy’s defense attaché instead of Defense Minister Dong Jun to the meeting.
“The answer is obvious: Beijing belittles ASEAN as a multilateral regional bloc,” Mr. Tarriela said.
He argued that the ADMM-Plus was not a bilateral engagement with the Philippines but a regional mechanism involving ASEAN member states and their eight dialogue partners.
“If Beijing truly respected that platform and the region it represents, it would not throw a tantrum and send only an embassy defense attaché, its lowest level of representation since the mechanism began in 2010,” he said.
Mr. Tarriela also accused Beijing of allowing a personal grudge against one attendee to determine its level of participation in the meeting. He said other dialogue partners, including India, sent their defense ministers to the gathering, underscoring the importance of participation in the regional security platform.
The Chinese Embassy rejected this characterization, telling Mr. Tarriela to seek clarification from Mr. Teodoro, the DND or other participating countries rather than spread what it called misinformation.
“Don’t deliberately stir up controversy and sow discord based on misinformation,” the embassy said — Pexcel John Bacon