By Karen Lema
MANILA, June 12 (Reuters) – The defence chief of the Philippines said on Friday he would continue to do his duty in the face of “wickedness” committed by China, a day after he was sanctioned by Beijing for what it described as repeated “erroneous remarks”.
Ties between China and U.S. ally the Philippines have soured in the past few years, with frequent spats as Manila, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, pushes back at what it sees as aggression by Beijing. China has accused the Philippines of repeated encroachment in its waters in the disputed South China Sea.
“That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth against their deception,” Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a statement on Friday.
“I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas,” Teodoro added.
China’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on Thursday against Teodoro and his close relatives, saying he had “repeatedly made erroneous remarks concerning China” which had undermined China’s legitimate interests and bilateral ties.
Manila’s foreign ministry said it viewed the sanctions as an “unfriendly act that further complicates bilateral relations.”
“Such measures do not contribute to building mutual trust, managing differences responsibly, or creating the conditions necessary for constructive engagement between our two countries,” it said in a statement late on Thursday.
Beijing accused the Philippine defence chief last week of having no gratitude for China’s supply of important commodities and of using issues about people’s wellbeing for political showmanship, after Teodoro’s remarks about China being a threat.
“For countries like the Philippines … which is under severe threat territory-wise and politically too by China, we have no choice but really to be resilient and to stand up against Chinese aggression,” he had told Reuters on the sidelines of Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum.
Earlier this week, Manila took diplomatic action against Beijing for what it called the “illegal presence” of a floating structure in a disputed atoll.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast)
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