ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASIA GEOPOLITICS | 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) | CEBU, Philippines: Philippines renews call for adherence to international law
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Teodoro emphasizes UNCLOS, rejection of use of force at ASEAN defense meeting
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. opens a session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus on Thursday, October 29, by stressing the importance of adherence to international law, including respect for sovereignty and the rejection of the use of force or the threat of force. ADMM-Plus is attended by defense ministers and representatives from ASEAN and its Plus partners, which include China, the United States and Russia.
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From left, Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Australia Defense Minister Richard Marles, Japan Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepare to leave after posing for pictures before holding a Quadrilateral Meeting on the sidelines of the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and 13th ADMM-Plus Meetings in Cebu, Philippines, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. .(Rolex Dela Pena/Pool Photo via AP)
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MANILA, Philippines — A renewed call from the Philippines for mutual respect and adherence to international law highlighted the opening yesterday of the 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. personally welcomed ranking defense officials of the ADMM-Plus member-countries except China’s, represented by Chinese embassy’s defense attaché Senior Capt. Yang Lei.
In his remarks, Teodoro noted the joint statement on the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, as well as on the Manila Joint Declaration, at the opening of the 20th ADMM on Wednesday.
“These documents outline our collective commitment to promoting adherence to our shared principles and strengthening ASEAN unity and centrality in our relations with you, our dialogue partners,” he told the defense officials of the Plus member-countries including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States.
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“Building on this foundation, we wish to offer, in our capacity as chair of the ADMM Plus, three key messages to guide our proceedings this morning,” Teodoro said.
“First, our functional cooperation must remain rooted in mutual respect and adherence to international law, including the United Nations Charter and the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said, apparently referring to the West Philippine Sea issue.
“ASEAN member states and dialogue partners share the same principles, such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the renunciation of the threat for use of force,” he said.
Teodoro, chair of this year’s ADMM-Plus, noted that these principles “have bound us over the decades, and they must continue to guide us in the years ahead.”
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He called on the ASEAN-Plus nations to also “use this platform to sustain the steady and significant progress we have made under the ADMM Plus framework.”
“In our interdependent world, disruptions, wherever they occur, have direct implications on the safety and well-being of our people and peoples perhaps extra-regionally. We therefore welcome cooperation on food and energy security amid supply chain challenges and conflicts overseas,” he pointed out.
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No handshake
Before his speech, the DND chief shook hands with defense chiefs and representatives of the Plus member-nations including Richard Marles of Australia, Shri Rajnath Singh of India, Koizumi Shinjiro of Japan, Kang Shin Chul of South Korea, Alexey Krivoruchko of Russia, and US Assistant Secretary of War John Noh. It was DND Undersecretary Ignacio Madriaga who welcomed the Chinese representative.
As the country prepares to host the 49th ASEAN Summit on Nov. 16 to 18, former congressman Robert Ace Barbers warned the regional bloc against allowing China to play the “good negotiator” card.
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“The Philippines should at the very least be wary of China potentially appearing as a good faith negotiator especially if its actions in the West Philippine Sea don’t reflect any good intention,” Barbers, who is also adviser-spokesman for the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, said.
He called on the Chinese government to “play its role in the ASEAN as its big brother, not a bully.”
“China must show good faith not just in words but more importantly in its actions,” Barbers stressed.
“We should not prejudge at this point their intentions but we also shouldn’t ignore their aggressiveness and show of disrespect in our territory and this action seems inconsistent with a commitment to peace in the region,” he said, referring to China.
“We want friendship and trade relations with China but friendship must come with mutual respect.” – Delon Porcalla
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