Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. believes that the United States and whoever sits in Washington have nothing to do with China’s expansionist agenda in the Indo-Pacific region including the South China Sea. In a Reuters report, he was quoted as saying that China’s actions stem from long-standing strategic ambitions independent of any US policy. “The aggressiveness of China has been several years in the making,” Teodoro yesterday said, noting that “China’s design for the region does not depend on any American leader.”

Punongbayan, M., Ong, G., & Porcalla, D. (2025, July 10). 'China expansion agenda nothing to do with US'. The Philippine Star, p. 3.