In response to the Philippine defense minister's remarks about reducing ROK-US exercises, China and the Philippines say, "We will not engage in conflict between major powers."

In response to the Philippine Defense Minister's claim that the reduction of joint military exercises between Korea and the United States could be an opportunity for China to expand its power, China refuted the claim, saying, "We are not involved in confrontations between major powers."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maoning said at a regular briefing on the 7th, "China has consistently worked to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and does not get involved in confrontations between major powers."

Spokesperson Mao continued, "We hope that relevant countries will also play a positive role for regional peace and stability."

Prior to this, Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, who visited Korea to attend the Seoul Security Dialogue (SDD), said in an interview with Reuters that there was a possibility that China would use the U.S.'s reduction in joint military exercises between Korea and the U.S. as an opportunity.

He argued, “China is very quick to exploit gaps,” and “if you look at the Indo-Pacific as a whole, it could serve as a signal that this is an opportunity for China to show off its influence in the region again.”

Minister Teodoro was the subject of sanctions, including an entry ban, from China after he defined China as a "serious threat" to the Philippines at the Asian Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) held in Singapore last May.

Afterwards, the two sides continued their battle, and last month, he responded to criticism from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said he had "always attacked and smeared China," with "a typical squid tactic (spreading false information by avoiding issues)."