BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday accused the Philippines of allowing a certain politician to abuse the country's chairmanship to obstruct China's participation in the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a question about why the Chinese defense minister did not attend the ADMM-Plus held in the Philippines and why China decided to send a defense attaché instead.
"Such moves seriously violate ASEAN's principle of consensus through consultation and run counter to the open and inclusive spirit of the ADMM-Plus," he said. "They do not conform to basic diplomatic protocols and undermine China's legitimate rights as a member of the mechanism."
Against this backdrop, Zhang said China's decision to send representatives to the meeting demonstrates China's firm support for ASEAN centrality and its responsible approach to regional defense and security cooperation. ■
