By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(June 6, 2025) – Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro has issued a stark warning to New Zealand on Friday, urging the pacific nation to remain vigilant against what he described as China’s growing ambitions to dominate the world.
Teodoro’s remarks came after the Philippines and New Zealand signed a defense cooperation agreement to bolster military ties – the first between the two nations allowing joint training and deployments as a strategic response to mounting regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
“That is the doctrine of China – to expand and conquer the world and change the world order,” said Teodoro in an interview with New Zealand’s television news bulletin ThreeNews, as quoted by Stuff.
He stressed that both countries “shouldn’t put their guards down,” emphasizing the need for broader international cooperation.
“If you don’t take the risk of China seriously, you may wake up with a neighbour you don’t want. Their expansion is a real thing,” added Teodoro.
In recent years, Philippine vessels have repeatedly encountered Chinese ships in disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea.
This despite the landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that favored the sovereign rights of the Philippines in the contested waters against China’s so-called nine-dash line.
Previously, Teodoro rejected what he called “propaganda spiels disguised as questions” from two senior Chinese defense officials during the Shangri-La Dialogue.
It came after the officials questioned whether the Philippines was acting as a “proxy” for Western powers and suggested the country adopt the more diplomatic approach of Malaysia and Vietnam to China.
“For dialogue to be effective, it must be coupled with trust. And China has a lot of trust-building to do to be an effective negotiating partner in dispute settlement. We have to call a spade a spade. And that’s what we see, and that is the biggest stumbling block to dispute resolution or dialogue with China,” said Teodoro.
(AGD)
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