China is putting ever-greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.
“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area,” he said.
The meeting between the Australian and Philippines defense ministers, their fifth since August 2023, reflects deeper security ties between the countries, both of whom have
expressed concern about Chinese activity in areas of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
The two nations signed a strategic partnership in September 2023 and held their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea several months later. The Philippines also joined war games in Australia this year for the first time.
China wants the Philippines to cede its claims in South China Sea
