The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Wednesday strongly rejected recent remarks by Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, who accused China of challenging freedom of navigation, pursuing expansionist goals, and illegally occupying Philippine territory.

In a statement, Embassy Spokesperson Ji Lingpeng said Beijing “firmly opposes” what he described as “unfounded remarks” that “distorted facts and deliberately smeared China.”

Teodoro, in a recent interview, also claimed that China’s intentions were “sinister and non-transparent” and that Beijing was the main factor preventing the Philippines from pursuing an independent foreign policy. He characterized ongoing Philippines-U.S. joint military exercises as an act of “collective deterrence” in response to China.

Ji responded by saying that over the past three years, certain forces in the Philippines have repeatedly provoked maritime confrontations while actively drawing external powers into regional affairs. These actions, he said, have directly contributed to rising tensions in the South China Sea and serious difficulties in bilateral relations.

The spokesperson noted that in the last four months, China and the Philippines have resumed diplomatic dialogue and successfully held three rounds of talks. People-to-people exchanges have grown, direct flights have increased, and economic cooperation is showing new opportunities.

“It is precisely at this critical moment that certain anti-China forces have rushed to disrupt these positive developments,” Ji said, adding that their goal is to prevent the improvement of China-Philippines relations and turn the two peoples against each other.

He warned that unilateralism and hegemonic bullying have already caused “profound disasters” for the world, citing the current energy crisis as an example. “What ordinary people truly want is peace, stability, and the chance to build better lives—not the introduction of external powers to act tough by hiding behind them,” he said.

Ji also cautioned those relying on outside powers to provoke rivalry among major countries, saying they “may very well end up getting burned and becoming expendable pawns.” He urged them to “act with caution and leave themselves a way out.”

(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)