Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. dismissed China’s criticism of Japan’s participation in this year’s Balikatan military exercises, saying Beijing has no reason to interfere in the joint drills involving allied countries.
He issued the remarks following statements from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, who criticized Japan’s involvement in the annual exercises and accused Tokyo of accelerating its military buildup under the guise of security cooperation.
Lin claimed Japan had failed to fully reflect on its wartime history and warned that its growing military role could threaten regional peace and stability.
The Chinese official also took issue with Japan’s deployment of military assets during the exercises, including the use of a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system.
Asked to respond to China’s remarks, Teodoro rejected the accusations and questioned why Beijing was concerned about the activities of participating countries.
“Number one, I don’t buy that,” Teodoro said.
“I mean, why do they care?” he added.
The defense chief also criticized China for what he described as continued interference in the affairs of other nations instead of addressing its own domestic concerns.
“How? My question is how,” Teodoro said in response to China’s claim that Japan’s missile deployment undermined regional peace and stability.
More than 17,000 military personnel from the Philippines, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France participated in Balikatan 2026, which officially concluded Friday.
Japan deployed around 1,400 personnel to the exercises, including the Type 88 missile system used during a maritime strike exercise off Paoay, Ilocos Norte last Wednesday.
The exercise involved the firing of missiles that successfully struck and sank a decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel. The event was witnessed by visiting Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Philippine and allied officials have repeatedly clarified that the Balikatan exercises are not directed against any specific country and are intended to strengthen territorial defense capabilities, interoperability, and regional security cooperation.