Teodoro rejects China’s claim of abuse of Asean chairmanship

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Thursday rejected China’s accusation that the Philippines abused its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defense meetings to obstruct Beijing’s participation. He said the allegation did not reflect the regional bloc’s position. Teodoro responded to Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang, who accused