Truth Stands, Propaganda Falls: Defense Secretary Teodoro Calls It Out at Shangri-La

BRP Sierra Madre

Truth Stands, Propaganda Falls: Defense Secretary Teodoro Calls It Out at Shangri-La  At the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, Chinese delegates attempted to frame the Philippines as a mere U.S. proxy—pushing scripted narratives disguised as questions. But Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro dismantled the propaganda with facts and firm resolve.  He made it clear: “The Philippine position on the West Philippine Sea is not a function of Sino-American strategic rivalry. It is caused, no doubt, by the overreach of the Chinese Communist Party.” From Mischief Reef’s militarization to the global rejection of the 9-dash line, the truth was laid bare. The Philippines stands for sovereignty, not submission. For law, not lies. #DefSecTeodoro #ShangriLaDialogue2025 #WestPhilippineSea #UNCLOS #Sovereignty #WPSUpdates #StandWithTruth #SLD25

Transcript

00:00At Shangri-La 2025, China's scripted narratives were demolished, on record and on principle.

00:08This wasn't just another panel. It was a global security forum where the Philippines confronted

00:13disinformation with facts and international law. Chinese delegates pushed a narrative that the

00:19Philippines is provoking tensions on behalf of the US, ignoring regional diplomacy and rejecting

00:25peaceful dialogue. Now to our Chinese interlocutors, I shall address you collectively and thank you for

00:34the propaganda spills disguised as questions. The Philippine position on the West Philippine Sea

00:41is not a function of Sino-American strategic rivalry. Instead, it is caused, no doubt, by the

00:49overreach of the Chinese Communist Party. I just look back to 1995 on a place called Bischief Reef.

00:57There were a few bamboo structures erected there and China said that these were temporary havens

01:07for fisher folk. Now you have an artificial military island, heavily militarized.

01:18No country in the world supports the nine-dash-line claim of China. None have agreed with China. And none has

01:31condemned the Philippines for standing up against China in the face of a threat to its territorial integrity

01:40and sovereignty. It engenders a deficit of trust. In China's words vis-a-vis its actions,

01:51we have to call a spade a spade. And that's what we see and that is the biggest stumbling block to

01:58dispute resolution or dialogue with China. Still, we must ensure that our international system,

02:06government, however it evolves, remains grounded in the rule of law, the undistorted rule of law,

02:15particularly the United Nations Charter. For all its shortcomings, there is no preferable alternative

02:24to the rules-based order, especially for the security, prosperity and survival of smaller states

02:33like the Philippines. The Philippines spoke the truth. The world heard it. Now it's our turn.

02:40Defend the facts. Expose the fiction. For the latest maritime updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter,

02:47TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

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