Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr looks on during an announcement in Vancouver, on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Photo: VCG

In the wake of China's sanctions against Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr over his repeated irresponsible remarks on China, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Saturday claimed that such sanctions were "very unhelpful," Philippine media reported. However, the Philippines' such double standards - allowing Teodoro's smearing rhetoric yet criticizing China's countermeasures - are the real stumbling block to bilateral ties, Chinese experts warned.

China decided to prohibit Gilberto Teodoro Jr and his spouse and child from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and not to allow organizations and individuals in China to engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced in June.

The spokesperson added that Gilberto Teodoro Jr repeatedly made irresponsible remarks on China, which undermines China's legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations, and the move has been made in order to uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests.

Regarding the sanctions, Marcos claimed that China's move raises the level of tension, as he spoke to reporters before returning to Manila following his four-day visit to Canada on Saturday that it is "unhelpful" and "achieves very little," PNA reported on Sunday.

Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that the sanctions imposed on Gilberto Teodoro Jr are a necessary and justified countermeasure, taken only after China had exercised the utmost restraint.

Teodoro has long made extreme remarks on the South China Sea issue that disregard the facts and smear China, while also distorting China's humanitarian assistance to the Philippines as "packaging and deception," hurting the feelings of the Chinese people and undermining China's goodwill, Chen said. 

Chen said that Teodoro's repeated distortions of the facts on the South China Sea ran counter to the understandings reached by China and the Philippines through diplomatic channels and have seriously undermined mutual trust between the two countries, and the Philippine side had applied "double standards" by tolerating his remarks smearing China while criticizing China's reactions. "This approach by the Philippine side, rather than the sanctions by China, is the real obstacle to dialogue and consultation," the expert continued.

The Philippines has repeatedly staged various provocative moves and maritime related rhetoric lately, which have drawn protests from Beijing. China's Ministry of Natural Resources also released an assessment report on June 30 on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, exposing the Philippines' core tactics of abusing the Convention to promote its illegal so-called South China Sea arbitration case.

Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong also lodged serious concerns over a string of negative moves on the Philippine side during working consultations with Philippine foreign ministry officials on June 30, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry's website on Friday.

The Philippine side, for its part, underscored the high importance it attaches to relations with China, reaffirmed its dedication to implementing the consensus reached by the two leaders, cherished the dialogue process and expressed its desire to improve bilateral relations, according to the release.

The expert Chen warned that despite diplomatic exchanges, Manila used the sanctions as an excuse to stoke sympathy. This reflects the Philippines' effort to present itself internationally as the weaker party facing pressure from China, even as it adopts a provocative posture in the South China Sea.

Chen urged the Philippines, in its capacity as the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, to shoulder its due responsibilities and obligations for regional peace and stability.

During the meeting, Liu also urged the Philippines to honor its commitments and match words with deeds, so as to create enabling conditions for improving China-Philippines relations, and stay on the right track of regional cooperation.