Philippines says China’s sanctions against Teodoro are an ‘unfriendly act’
China also prohibited any official engagements and private business deals with Teodoro, who has been at the forefront of criticizing Beijing’s duplicity in the West Philippine Sea issue.
Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. at a meeting with the Association of General and Flag Officers, Inc. (AGFO) at Camp Aguinaldo last June 2. Official handout.
Joe M. Reyes | June 13, 2026
MANILA — The Philippines’ foreign ministry called the sanctions imposed on its defense secretary an “unfriendly act” that may complicate bilateral relations.
In a statement, a day after Beijing’s foreign ministry announced that Gilberto Teodoro and his family are barred from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau, the Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that the sanctions are China’s prerogative.
But it viewed the actions as unfriendly, and it could further complicate bilateral relations. (Also read: Dialogue with China Is Imperative: Trump–Xi Summit Proved It)
“Such measures do not contribute to building mutual trust, managing differences responsibly, or creating the conditions necessary for constructive engagement between our two countries,” the foreign ministry statement said.
China also prohibited any official engagements and private business deals with Teodoro, who has been at the forefront of criticizing Beijing’s duplicity in the West Philippine Sea issue.
For his part, Teodoro said China’s sanctions will not deter him from speaking against China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous behavior in the West Philippine Sea
“That is their right,” he said in a statement.
“That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth in the face of their deception. Their own countrymen and the others under their control suffer far worse. I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas.”
Teodoro was the second Philippine official, during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration, to be banned from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau. (Also read: 86% of Filipinos favor alliances with like-minded nations to defend WPS -Stratbase poll)
China also imposed sanctions against former Senator Francis Tolentino for sponsoring laws to protect Philippine interests in the West Philippine Sea.
During President Benigno Aquino III’s term, the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario was denied entry to Hong Kong, where he was due to attend a business meeting.
China and the Philippines are in a bitter territorial dispute in the South China Sea, where $3 trillion worth of seaborne trade passes annually. (Also read: Philippines checking reports about Chinese structures on Bajo de Masinloc)
China claims almost the entire strategic sea lanes, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have conflicting claims.
Beijing’s ban on Teodoro and his family came two weeks after the defense secretary lambasted China look at the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore saying the Philippines remains under “severe threat” from China.
Teodoro said the Philippines is building resilience, including upgrade of military infrastructure. (Also read: Teodoro pushes for technology-driven exercises)
China had offered to supply fertilizers and fuel to cushion the global shortages due to the conflict in the Middle East.
“It doesn’t cut the mustard,” Teodoro said. “It’s actually guileful.”
The Armed Forces also defended Teodoro, describing the sanctions as “political intimidation.”
A spokesman for the West Philippine Sea issues, Retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said the military “stands in absolute solidarity” with Teodoro following the “unilateral and ungrounded sanctions” imposed by China.
“These sanctions are a transparent attempt at political intimidation, meant to silence those who expose coercive and illegal actions in our exclusive economic zone,” said Trinidad.
“The AFP maintains that no amount of foreign pressure, legal maneuvering, or personal targeting of our leadership will deter the men and women of the military from performing our constitutional duty,” he added.