The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) announced on Tuesday that China has yet to confirm its participation in the upcoming ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) to be held in Cebu. DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong stated during a press briefing that while an invitation was extended to Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, the department has not received confirmation regarding who, if anyone, will represent China at the regional gathering. The ADMM-Plus meetings are scheduled to take place from October 26 to 30, with the primary ministerial sessions set for October 28 and 29 at the Mactan Expo Center. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is slated to lead the Philippine delegation. The event will bring together defense officials from ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners. Andolong noted that the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea are expected to be included in the discussions. “Secretary Teodoro has mentioned in his previous engagements that the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea are almost always a part of the discussions in the ADMM, so we don’t think it will be any different at this time,” Andolong said. In addition to regional maritime security, the agenda is expected to cover recurring areas of defense cooperation, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response, counterterrorism, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian mine action, and cybersecurity. The DND spokesperson also noted that the Philippine Navy previously invited a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy warship to participate in an ADMM-Plus maritime security exercise in the West Philippine Sea this past September, but Beijing did not respond to that invitation. As of Tuesday, working groups continue to finalize the meeting’s agenda, and any proposed joint statements remain subject to consensus among the participating nations.
Article source: The Daily Tribune | Image credit: The Daily Tribune