China is ‘biggest disruptor’ of peace in Southeast Asia: Philippine defense chief Teodoro

Philippine defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr on Tuesday accused China of being "the biggest disruptor of international peace" in Southeast Asia, citing recent clashes between the two countries in the disputed South China Sea and its airspace.
Speaking at a US Indo-Pacific Command-organized military conference in Manila, Teodoro called for strong international condemnation of China's aggressive actions, particularly after an incident on Monday where China deployed 40 ships to block Philippine vessels from delivering supplies to a Coast Guard ship in the Sabina Shoal.

Teodoro highlighted that international statements of concern regarding China's increasingly assertive behavior were insufficient, saying, "The antidote is a stronger collective multilateral action against China."
He suggested that a UN Security Council resolution condemning and ordering China to cease its aggressive acts would be a bold move, but acknowledged the challenges in pursuing such action, given China's veto power as a permanent member of the council.

The defense secretary also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to take a stronger stance against China's actions in the South China Sea, commenting, "Asean, to remain relevant and credible, cannot continue to ignore what China is doing in the South China Sea." The 10-nation bloc includes several countries with overlapping claims in the region, alongside China and Taiwan.
The recent confrontation at Sabina Shoal, an uninhabited atoll claimed by both China and the Philippines, marks the sixth reported hostile encounter between the two nations in the past year. These incidents have raised concerns about the potential for a larger conflict involving the United States, a long-standing treaty ally of the Philippines.

China has also been accused of obstructing the delivery of supplies to Filipino forces aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded navy ship near Second Thomas Shoal. Despite an agreement last month to avoid hostile encounters in the area, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that Chinese vessels, including suspected militia, illegally blocked a supply delivery on Monday.
In response to the incident, the Chinese Coast