The Chinese Embassy's latest statement about me is not a rebuttal. It is a self-portrait. First, the Embassy is now a purveyor of fake news. Its own spokesperson and the FFCCCII said the Chinese teachers left because their families worried about Ray Powell's articles. My name was nowhere. On the "PR stunt," my statement thanked the PLA Navy, contrasted it with how the China Coast Guard treats our fishermen, and asked why a warship was in our EEZ. This is the same Embassy that circulated a garbled translation of my post to claim I "threatened" the Ambassador. Second, the statement proves China does not care about international law. No UNCLOS, no 2016 Award, no legal basis. Instead: Iraq in 2003 and a Pompeo quote. A grievance against Washington does not explain a water cannon fired at a BFAR vessel in July or a survey ship off Batanes without the consent Article 246 requires. Every disclosure I make comes from PCG cameras and crews, not foreign intelligence. Third, this is a mission that threatens rather than engages. The Ambassador said China could "easily win" by force; the DFA summoned him, the President called it a threat. The Embassy then warned of reciprocal action against our officials and answered a legitimate question with "the ignorant are fearless." The Filipinos who actually pay a price are the fishermen water-cannoned at Bajo de Masinloc. My job is to show what our cameras record. If the footage is propaganda, your quarrel is with the footage. The Embassy can attack me all it wants; the cameras will keep rolling.

It was China's own decision to keep its Defense Minister away from the ADMM-Plus in Cebu and send only an embassy defense attaché, its lowest level of representation since the forum began in 2010. Yet Beijing now says the Philippines is to blame for the downgrade. 🤔 China never tires of claiming it is open to dialogue and consultation. If that were true, why would it belittle ASEAN's highest defense consultative mechanism, in the very year the Philippines holds the chair? Let me be clear: this is not a snub of the Philippines alone. It is a snub of ASEAN! You cannot claim to support ASEAN centrality while walking away from the ASEAN defense ministers' table simply because you were embarrassed by our exposure of your illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea!