Jonathan Frederic De Santos

The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Marilyn Cahatol

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17826239217781782623918975.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto &quot;Gibo&quot; Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— The Department of National Defense on Sunday morning slammed the Chinese Embassy’s response to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ earlier statement in relation to the 2016 Arbitral Award, saying it is a “window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with our country.”</p><p>The Chinese Embassy, in a statement dated June 23, rejected the 2016 Arbitral Award that affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the disputed West Philippine Sea.</p><p>Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the embassy’s response “clearly shows their insincerity and duplicity which are amply personified by their Embassy officials.”</p><p>&quot;The Chinese Embassy statement replying to our Department of Foreign Affairs is a window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with our country,&quot; he also said.</p><p>Last week, DFA released a statement condemning China’s refusal to recognize the 2016 Arbitral Award, noting it was awarded by a tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty to which the Philippines and China are parties.</p><p>DFA stressed the award is final and binding, and “has become an unassailable part of the corpus of international law, providing legal clarity regarding maritime rights and entitlements in the South China Sea.”</p><p>The Chinese Embassy, in response, said the arbitral award is “illegal, null and void,” and that it was a “political manipulation disguised in legal garb.”</p><p>“The arbitral tribunal distorted and abused the dispute-settlement mechanisms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fabricated China’s positions, wrongly determined facts, and incorrectly interpreted and applied the law,” the Chinese Embassy said.</p><p>China did not participate in the arbitration case that the Philippines filed in 2013 and has refused to recognize the 2016 ruling.</p><p>The arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines will mark its 10th anniversary in July 12, 2026.</p><p>It has so far been the strongest legal ground of the Philippines&#x27; claim to its maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea, as the ruling denied the existence of the nine-dash line.</p><p>&quot;China&#x27;s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are under no circumstances affected by the award,&quot; the embassy statement read.</p><p>Frequent tensions between Chinese vessels and Filipino fishermen have been recorded in the West Philippine Sea, which covers the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the country.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/19/tarriela-chinese-embassy-narrative-rejected-by-2016-arbitral-ruling-0119">Tarriela: Chinese Embassy narrative rejected by 2016 arbitral ruling</a></div><p>Before the recent exchanges, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/12/defense-chief-teodoro-says-to-keep-doing-my-duty-after-china-sanctions-0813">sanctions against Teodoro and his family</a>, claiming he had “repeatedly made irresponsible remarks on China” that allegedly harmed Beijing’s “legitimate interests” and affected bilateral relations.</p><p>Under the sanctions, Teodoro, his wife, and child are barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.</p><p>Chinese entities are likewise prohibited from engaging in transactions, cooperation, or other activities with them.</p><p>Beijing said the sanctions were imposed to “uphold China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div>

<p>The Department of National Defense on Sunday morning slammed the Chinese Embassy’s response to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ earlier statement in relation to the 2016 Arbitral Award, saying it is a “window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with our country.”</p>

The Department of National Defense on Sunday morning slammed the Chinese Embassy’s response to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ earlier statement in relation to the 2016 Arbitral Award, saying it is a “window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with our country.”

DND: China’s reply to DFA statement on arbitral award a ‘window to true intentions’

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DND: China’s reply to DFA statement on arbitral award a ‘window to true intentions’

Marilyn Cahatol,

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 28, 2026 09:31 AM PHT

|

Updated June 28, 2026 01:23 PM PHT

Read More:

China

West Philippine Sea

UNCLOS

Department of National Defense

Department of Foreign Affairs

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