China bars Gibo Teodoro and family from entering

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June 11, 2026 | 9:52pm

MANILA, Philippines — Beijing said it has barred Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro and his family from entering Chinese territory over his "irresponsible" remarks on China. 

In a statement on Thursday, June 11, China's foreign ministry said Teodoro has repeatedly made comments that "[undermine] China’s legitimate interests and [sabotage] China-Philippines relations."

The ban, according to the ministry, applies to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and covers Teodoro's spouse and child. 

The ministry also ordered that no organization or individual in China carry out any transaction, cooperation or other activity with Teodoro and his family. 

It said the step was taken to protect China's sovereignty, security and development interests. 

What set it off. Teodoro has been a vocal critic of China's conduct in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea that falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month, the defense chief criticized China's continued illegal, coercive and aggressive presence at sea. 

Teodoro's speech largely faulted China, which he accused of being the biggest obstacle to ASEAN's goal of passing a South China Sea Code of Conduct. He said negotiating with Beijing is a way for the latter to gain advantage rather than truly resolve disputes.

The day after the summit, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning singled Teodoro out and urged Manila to rein in its officials.

Teodoro had already shrugged off the prospect of a ban. Asked for comment last week about a report that he and his family might be blocked from entering China, he said he had no plans to go to the country and had no assets there.

The Philippines is chair of this year's ASEAN and is pushing to finish the long-delayed sea code by the end of 2026, an ambitious deadline that foreign ministers of the bloc set in 2023. 

The goal of the proposed code is to mainly create rules for the waters where China, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims and where confrontations among vessels have become more frequent. 

Relations between Manila and Beijing have also been strained by a wave of arrests of Chinese nationals, including the 69 Chinese workers arrested in a May raid on a steel plant in Misamis Oriental. At least 64 have been released after authorities found insufficient basis to charge them.