Philippine defense secretary criticized

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro's repeated attacks and smears against China are damaging bilateral relations and will also harm the interests of the Philippines and its people, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday.

Guo made the remarks when asked about Teodoro's accusation that China was using immigration enforcement actions involving more than 100 Philippine nationals to pressure Manila over its law enforcement operations against Chinese citizens.

Teodoro reportedly described the Chinese measures as "simple extortion and blackmail".