PH spotlights South China Sea, ‘fragmenting world’ in ASEAN defense chiefs’ meeting

CEBU, Philippines — Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told Southeast Asian defense chiefs, whose countries have widely varying ties with superpower China, that the bloc should “not allow differences to divide us from within. ” “ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] was founded on the belief that our strength lies in our diversity. We must therefore not allow our differences to divide us from within, and where such differences exist, including in the South China Sea, we shall settle them through peaceful and legal means,” said Teodoro, chairman of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting, to open the event on Wednesday, October 28.

Regional security, as well as bloc cooperation over issues like disaster risk reduction, will be among the key issues defense officials are expected to tackle in meetings and sideline events from October 28 to 29 at the Mactan Expo in Lapu-Lapu City. Ministers, as well as working groups, are also expected to tackle protection of underwater critical infrastructure, cooperation for food and energy security, and preparedness for the super El Niño and its possible effects on security. Play Video ADMM and the ADMM-Plus is an annual gathering of defense ministers from Southeast Asia and “plus countries” or ADMM dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. It is the largest defense diplomacy gathering in ASEAN for the calendar year. Aside from all 11 defense chiefs from Southeast Asia, their counterparts for almost all plus countries, including US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Japan Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro, are participating in the meetings. Must Read Hegseth likely to face questions on US role in Indo-Pacific at ASEAN summit in Cebu As chair of ADMM,…