Philippines’ Defense Undersecretary Ignacio Madriga (R) welcomes China’s Defence Attache to the Philippines Yang Lei (L) before the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu on October 29, 2026. Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. did not personally welcome China’s representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Instead, Defense Undersecretary Ignacio Madriaga received Senior Captain Yang Lei, China’s defense attaché to the Philippines, on his behalf.
Teodoro, who chairs the meeting, personally welcomed other delegates, including deputy defense ministers from Asean’s dialogue partners.
China sent its embassy’s defense attaché to the meeting, its lowest-ranking representative to date, according to Chinese state media.
‘Parity in rank’
Asked why he did not personally receive the Chinese defense attaché, Teodoro cited the difference in rank between the two officials.“There should be some parity in rank and in stature. So, I think an undersecretary receiving an attaché, that is already more than courteous,” Teodoro said at a press conference in Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday.He also maintained that China’s representative was given an opportunity to present Beijing’s position during the ADMM-Plus discussions.“Nonetheless, we allowed the exchange of views to be robust and I think that was the important thing, the opportunity to be heard,” he said.Teodoro confirmed that China raised the South China Sea issue during the meeting but declined to detail the reactions of other participating countries.He said Beijing’s position was no different from its previous statements on regional security issues.
Ray Powell, director of SeaLight at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation and a former defense attaché, said defense ministers and defense attachés should not be considered counterparts.
“Defense ministers and defense attaches are NOT ‘counterparts’!” Powell wrote on X on Thursday.
“Being received by an undersecretary is perfectly honorable. If they wanted Sec Teodoro to personally receive him they should have sent their defense minister,” he added.
Under the Asean Secretariat’s Guide to Asean Practices and Protocol, visiting heads of delegation are to be welcomed by an appropriate representative of the host country, in accordance with the host country’s protocol.The guide does not explicitly require the receiving official to hold the same rank as the visiting delegate.
The Philippines is hosting the 20th Asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting and the 13th ADMM-Plus from Oct. 28 to 29 as part of its 2026 Asean chairship.
The meetings bring together defense officials from Asean member states and dialogue partners to discuss regional security challenges and strengthen defense cooperation.