China blames Philippines for defence minister's absence at ASEAN meeting
China's defence ministry accused the Philippines of blocking its participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus by allowing individual politicians to abuse their power, undermining ASEAN's consensus principle and damaging mutual trust.
China's defence ministry on 29 October blamed the Philippines for the absence of its defence minister from the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Manila, accusing Manila of erecting obstacles and violating diplomatic norms.
Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a regular press conference in Beijing that, as this year's rotating chair of the ADMM-Plus, the Philippines had allowed individual politicians to “act recklessly and use public office for private gain”, setting up multiple barriers that hindered China's participation.
Zhang said these actions “seriously violated the ASEAN consensus principle”, “gravely breached the open and inclusive spirit of the ADMM-Plus”, did not conform with basic diplomatic protocol, and harmed China's legitimate rights as a member of the mechanism. He added that most ASEAN countries had expressed doubts and opposition to the Philippine conduct.
Despite the circumstances, Zhang said China still decided to send representatives to the meeting, demonstrating its firm support for ASEAN's central role and its responsible attitude toward regional defence and security cooperation.
“The Philippines is acting arbitrarily, hijacking ASEAN and stirring up trouble. It is weakening the reputation of the ADMM-Plus, undermining the solidarity and mutual trust among ASEAN countries, and will ultimately damage the fundamental interests of the Philippines as well as those of regional countries and peoples,” Zhang said.