Manila: Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has accused China of employing a 'squid tactic' to sidestep critical issues surrounding the arrest of Chinese nationals in the Philippines, while also rejecting what he described as a threat of retaliation against Filipinos.

According to Philippines News Agency, Teodoro highlighted that the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been evasive about two main concerns: the involvement of Chinese nationals in illegal activities within the Philippines, and whether Chinese embassy officials intervened in local law enforcement and threatened retaliation against Filipinos. Teodoro asserted that Philippine law enforcement authorities have evidence, authorized by Philippine courts through search warrants, confirming the illegal activities of the arrested individuals.

Teodoro detailed that those arrested were allegedly involved in activities such as the distribution of substandard, radioactively contaminated steel, environmental degradation through the dumping of untreated polluted water into rivers, and the emission of untreated toxic fumes. He emphasized that this evidence could withstand legal scrutiny in court.

Furthermore, Teodoro questioned the role of Chinese embassy officials in local law enforcement processes, referencing a Senate hearing that supported claims of embassy intervention and threats against Filipinos. Despite criticism from China's Foreign Ministry regarding the handling of Chinese nationals, the Philippines has maintained that its law enforcement operations were lawful and backed by court-issued search warrants.

Teodoro firmly dismissed comparisons between these cases and the detention of Filipinos in China, clarifying that those arrested in the Philippines were alleged masterminds of illegal enterprises. He criticized the Chinese Foreign Ministry's response as a 'classic squid tactic,' accusing Beijing of diverting attention from the serious allegations against Chinese nationals and the reported intervention by embassy officials.

Teodoro also condemned China's warning that the Philippines would 'bear the brunt' of consequences, labeling it an 'indiscriminate threat to retaliate against all Filipinos,' which he described as extortion and blackmail.