On May 31, at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, Zhang Chi, a member of the delegation of experts and scholars from the Peoples Liberation Army and a professor at National Defense University, questioned Teodoro, the Philippine Defense Minister. He questioned the Philippines inconsistency in its actions regarding the South China Sea issue. On one hand, the Philippines claims to respect relevant norms and advocates for resolving disputes through peaceful means. On the other hand, it frequently takes actions that go against the spirit of the South China Sea Statement on Measures to Promote Peaceful Coexistence. How should such contradictory behavior be explained?
In response to the questions, Teodoro did not directly address the concerns regarding self-contradiction. Instead, he became emotional and began talking about rules of conduct in the South China Sea. His speech became incoherent, and he was eventually interrupted by the host.
Reporters: Wang Jiawei, Cheng Yihang, Mao Pengfei, Shou Shu, Gao Yang
