Philippines Defense Chief Accuses China of Insulting President Marcos and Using “Gutter Level Talk”

File image of Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Dita Alangkara / POOL / AFP.

The increasingly frayed relationship between China and the Philippines worsened considerably on Wednesday when Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro lashed out at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning for “insulting” President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and stopping to “gutter level talk.”

This latest spat began on Monday when Marcos posted a congratulatory message to Taiwan’s president-elect, Lai Ching-te, on the social media platform X.

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by Eric Olander

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