China bars Philippines defence chief as South China Sea spat sails onwards

China has barred a top Philippines official and his family from entering the country, citing comments he made about Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued on Thursday that Manila’s Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, as well as his wife and children, are now banned from entering the country, including Hong Kong and Macau.

It added that “organisations and individuals in China” will not be permitted to “engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child”.

The ban marks another escalation in long-running tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea. Half a dozen countries, including the Philippines, lay claim to different parts of the sea, but Beijing insists that it holds sovereignty over almost all of its waters.

Teodoro’s rhetoric “undermines China’s legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations”, the statement said, without specifying to which remarks it was referring.

There was no immediate reaction from Teodoro or from the Philippine government.

‘No plans’

After unconfirmed reports surfaced last week about a China entry ban, Teodoro said: “I have no assets in China, and I have no plans to go there,” according to local media ABS-CBN.

“Even if I wanted to visit, because the food is good and the people are kind, that is overshadowed by the kind of government they have,” he added.

Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea are despite a 2016 international ruling that said its assertions are baseless.

China regularly deploys navy and coast guard vessels in the strategic waterway to prevent the Philippines from accessing important reefs and islands in the area.

Coast guard, military and civilian boats from the two countries have regularly featured in clashes.

At a summit in Singapore last month, Teodoro criticised Beijing’s activities in the disputed waters, saying Manila “will not sacrifice our territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

Asked last week about Teodoro’s remarks at the summit, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that he “is known to vilify China”.

“All he cares about is selfish personal gains, to the point that he would perform political theatrics even when people’s well-being is at stake,” Mao said.