China’s decision to ban Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr and his family from Chinese territory has taken Beijing’s maritime feud with Manila into unusually personal territory, with analysts saying the move appeared aimed at warning other Philippine officials against taking a hard line.
The sanctions, announced by China’s foreign ministry on Thursday following Teodoro’s recent criticism of Beijing, also prohibit Chinese organisations and individuals from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with the defence chief and his family.
Analysts told This Week in Asia the unusual step of targeting a defence chief’s family might be a case of “killing the chicken to warn the monkeys” – meaning punishing one high-profile critic to deter others – while opening a debate over whether Manila should retaliate in kind.
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Among those urging a reciprocal response was Antonio Carpio, a retired Supreme Court justice and influential voice on Philippine maritime rights, who said the Philippines should respond “tit-for-tat” by banning China’s defence minister and his family from entering the country to show it would not be intimidated.
Beijing, however, has framed the sanctions more narrowly as a response to Teodoro’s own remarks, rather than as a broader signal to Manila.
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The foreign ministry said Teodoro had “repeatedly made erroneous remarks” against China, undermining Beijing’s legitimate interests and damaging bilateral relations.