{
  "id": 16829808,
  "title": "Manila speaks with 2 voices on China",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/manila-speaks-with-2-voices-on-china",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T01:30:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372147/manila-speaks-2-voices-china"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 13, Manila delivered two distinct messages to Beijing. The presidential spokeswoman at Malacanang Palace emphasized Manila's dedication to maintaining diplomatic and economic relations with China, stating \"China needs the Philippines, and the Philippines needs China.\" Later that day, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. strongly opposed the idea of military-to-military communication with China, a stance backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Teodoro maintained that the proper channels for communication remain through the Department of Foreign Affairs, not directly with military officials. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has defended these conflicting messages, claiming they are not contradictory as both diplomatic and defense branches of his administration are working towards a common goal through separate methods. This dichotomous communication raises questions about the administration's coherence. While Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is pursuing a more collaborative approach towards China, the defense establishment has adopted a more aggressive stance. An example of this tension is the recent controversy involving Ambassador Jing Quan, who suggested China could \"easily win\" a conflict with the Philippines. In response, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro expressed serious concern and strong objection to his comment, while also reiterating Manila's commitment to maintaining dialogue with China through diplomatic channels. However, Teodoro has shown limited interest in direct engagement with Beijing. In addition to these issues, two maritime agreements aimed at reducing tensions with China have led to conflicting public statements from Philippine agencies. The first agreement pertains to a proposed bilateral coastguard cooperation arrangement, and the second involves the rotation and resupply missions around the Second Thomas Shoal. Conflicting reports emerged regarding these agreements, with the DFA distancing themselves from the coastguard's involvement in drafting the coastguard agreement and questioning the validity of the provisional understanding on rotation and resupply missions. These inconsistencies highlight poor coordination between Manila's diplomatic and maritime security sectors. A similar disagreement arose over the provisional understanding on rotation and resupply missions at Second Thomas Shoal. Despite reaching a provisional understanding in July 2024, Defense Secretary Teodoro claimed it never happened, while the DFA claimed the agreement was drafted and approved by Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro's team. These discrepancies raise doubts about the coherence of Manila's China policy. When agreements negotiated by the DFA are later disavowed by the defense establishment, it leaves uncertainty about which institution will carry out the agreements, undermining the Philippines' diplomatic credibility. For Beijing, this raises additional concerns in an already strained relationship with Manila, making crisis management more challenging at sea.",
  "summary": "Manila sent two strikingly different messages to Beijing on October 13. At the Malacanang Palace, a presidential spokeswoman reaffirmed Manila’s commitment to sustaining diplomatic and economic ties with China, saying “China needs the Philippines, and the Philippines needs China”. That same day, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rejected a call for military-to-military…",
  "key_points": [
    "Manila delivers two distinct messages to China on October 13.",
    "Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro opposes military-to-military communication with China.",
    "Conflicting statements undermine Manila's China policy coherence."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Internal friction between Manila's diplomatic and defense sectors undermines the country's credibility and complicates crisis management by creating uncertainty over which institution actually directs policy toward Beijing.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}