The Philippine Defense Minister responds to being sanctioned by China:
"My ancestral roots are from Zhangzhou, Fujian Province; I have no assets in China. My ancestors leaving China was the right decision. Originally, I wanted to visit China to enjoy its cuisine, but now that this has happened, there's no need to go."
This statement by Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Teodoro, made after being sanctioned by China, represents a highly emotional and identity-politics-infused "public relations counterattack."
Its core logic lies in severing ancestral ties to invalidate the legitimacy of the sanctions.
By emphasizing “I’m from Fujian but have no assets in China” and claiming “my ancestors’ departure from China was correct,” he essentially attempts to convey: “I have no real connection with China—your sanctions don’t affect me, nor should they constrain my actions.” This maneuver seeks to reframe China’s sanctions—targeted at his provocative conduct over the South China Sea issue—as a punishment based on ethnic identity, thereby attempting to elicit public sympathy and downplay his specific actions as a government official in the context of territorial disputes.
This argument is fundamentally flawed: China’s sanctions target his official conduct as the Philippines’ defense minister—such as allowing increased U.S. military access to Philippine bases and adopting a hardline stance on the Ren'ai Reef issue—not his personal assets, ancestral origins, or culinary preferences. Regardless of whether he disowns his heritage, if his official duties harm China’s core interests, the sanctions remain proportionate and justified.
“My ancestors leaving China was the right decision”: This phrase carries undertones of catering to domestic Filipino nationalism, implying that “leaving China enabled us to achieve our current status.” It appeals to certain domestic audiences while simultaneously justifying his own hardline position.
Such rhetoric is largely performative, aimed at the Philippine domestic audience—fabricating a narrative of personal humiliation to obscure the reality that the Philippines is legally and militarily at a disadvantage in the South China Sea. For China, this response is not worth refuting: the sanctions themselves are an act of proportional retaliation, and the use of emotional manipulation in reply only confirms that the sanctions have hit their mark.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867833504225292/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.