DND-Chinese Embassy Row Escalates: Teodoro Calls Embassy a 'PR Firm' for Tony Yang, Beijing Cites 'Fabricated Narratives'

The public dispute between the Philippine Department of National Defense and the Chinese Embassy in Manila escalated further on August 20, 2026 into mutual accusations of lawlessness. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said 'the Chinese Embassy is now a PR firm for Tony Yang and other illegal activ[ities]... they are covering up for these people,' referring to Chinese businessman Tony Yang, linked to the Sanjia Steel Corp. facility raided in Misamis Oriental on May 15. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission separately defended the raid as 'an inter-agency law-enforcement operation, not an action against any nationality,' saying the embassy's remarks 'reflect a clear disregard for diplomatic decorum and the sovereign laws of the Philippines.' The Chinese Embassy rejected the accusations as 'absurd,' saying it had only protected Chinese nationals from 'unfair and inhumane treatment' after 'innocent Chinese workers were treated like animals by the Philippine side,' and accused Manila of building national security policy on 'fabricated narratives' and 'deliberately exaggerated threats.'