CANBERRA –
China is stepping up pressure on the Philippines to concede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Manila’s Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after meeting his Australian counterpart in Canberra.
The fifth such meeting since August 2023 reflects growing security ties between the countries, which have both voiced concern about Chinese activity in areas of the busy waterway claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
„What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area,“ Teodoro said after meeting Australian counterpart Richard Marles, adding that the Philippines was a „victim of Chinese aggression.“