DND's Teodoro: Tension in WPS rising from China's ten-dash claim

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has maintained that tensions in the West Philippine Sea arose from China's ten-dash line claim in the region.

During the observance of the Swedish National Day last week, Teodoro stressed that ''China wants us to go to the small details to forget the main message.''

''The main message is: The ten-dash-line is the provocation. And everything flows from that. They have no business being anywhere in the West Philippine Sea and other areas where we have jurisdiction,'' Teodoro told reporters.

According to Teodoro, ''narratives are being whittled down to the tactical level,'' with the aim to distract Filipinos as well as the international community from focusing on the root cause of the tensions in the resource-rich region.

''They are trying to bait us by straying from the main points and dragging us into an action-drama debate, where we focus on minor details which stray us from the main message. Let’s stick to the message,'' he said.

Further, Teodoro said efforts to manage the tensions in the West Philippine Sea are continuously being undertaken by the government through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

So far, there is no discussion at the defense level is underway, adding that any agreement or talks ''should be open, rooted in international law, and uphold Philippine national interests.''

“Kailangan open and transparent, (dahil) kailangan katanggap-tanggap (sa) mga Pilipino, makatarungan, ligal, at pabor sa interes ng Pilipinas. Kung hindi, itatakwil ito,” Teodoro said.

(It should be open and transparent because it should be accepted by Filipinos, legal, and favorable to our interest. If not, we should be against this.)

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy through Viber for comment on Teodoro's recent statement, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

In March, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. questioned the Asian Superpower's ten-dash-line map, saying that it has not been recognized by any country or any international body.

The Department of Foreign Affairs had said the 2023 edition map is China's latest attempt "to legitimize purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)." — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News