CDR Salamander - The PRC’s ‘coercion, bullying and aggression’--Red in Tooth and Claw

As a long-standing member of Team Philippines, I spent most of the day yesterday with a smile as I watched Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro at Seoul Defense Dialogue 2026.

One of the things that I have been so heartened by what I’ve seen over the last half decade or so is the growing closeness and maturity of our relationship with the Philippines. I have my biases as a retired naval officer who worked with Filipinos for decades, and my hometown has a well-established population of Filipinos in the tens of thousands. They are great people with so much talent and so much potential.

We had a spotty decade or so post-Cold War, but with a more balanced view of each other from both sides, everything seems to be aligning more and more to the benefit of everyone, especially in the face of aggression by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The video I’ve been enjoying so much is Teodoro answering an audience question, when suddenly, someone from the PRC handed him a note, "stating China's position."

Teodoro, without missing a beat, took the note and refuted it point by point in a master class on how you should treat such an action by the PRC.

Watch it, then watch it again. As leaders in Canada continue to debase themselves and their nation in their childish flirtation with the PRC, just look at the Philippines go.

How could you not be willing to go to war to defend such a people?

While we’re on the topic, as an extra added goodie, I’d recommend this short discussion between our friend Ray Powell and Rear Admiral Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard.

From Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, and sweeping in Vietnam and even Indonesia if we play our cards right, we have a whole host of nations with which, if we are smart, we can develop an even closer and mutually beneficial front against the aggression of the PRC in the Pacific.

It would be nice if Canada and New Zealand could join in, but perhaps they’ll eventually see the light. If not, that’s OK…but we’ll remember…and so will the other nations…and history.

Leave a comment

Share

View the full article