China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has repeatedly made fallacious remarks about China and his latest statements once again prove his having no gratitude for key Chinese commodities and exploiting issues of people's livelihoods to make political stunt.
Mao made the remarks on Tuesday, commenting on media reports that Teodoro alleged at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China had provided fertilizer and fuel to the Philippines but did not show good faith on a long-term basis, and "no matter how they sugarcoat their assistance to us, it doesn't cut the mustard." He also claimed the Philippines were under severe threat territory-wise and politically by China.
Mao stated that Teodoro's latest words shows that he completely disregards the welfare of the Philippine people, lacks any sense of gratitude, only cares about his personal interests, and is even exploiting livelihood issues for political stunt, which damages China-Philippines relations and mutual trust, and is completely contrary to the interests of the Philippine nation and its people.
Mao further asked: The Philippine side should seriously reflect on this. If it allows such a person to do whatever he wants, how can China continue to provide material assistance to the Philippines? Who will ultimately foot the bill? Whose interests will be harmed?
Mao noted that Philippine leaders have repeatedly expressed their willingness to properly resolve differences with China and promote the easing of bilateral relations. It is hoped that the Philippines will match its words with deeds, strictly discipline its officials, and not allow a few clowns to repeatedly undermine bilateral efforts to stabilize the relationship, Mao added.
Former Australian environment minister Peter Garrett will head up a crowd-funded review of the multi-billion-dollar AUKUS submarine deal, Australia's biggest ever defense project, with one of its questions including an examination of how the deal affects Australia's relations with China, BBC News reported. A Chinese expert said this reflects a growing number of voices within Australia questioning whether it is worthwhile to sacrifice relations with China in order to accommodate US interests.
Launched by a group of Labor veterans and public figures concerned that proper scrutiny was not applied to the deal, the inquiry will hold public hearings and take written submissions before delivering a final report by October 30, the Guardian reported.
Garrett, who served as environment minister between 2007 and 2010, said the independent inquiry into the A$368 billion ($239 billion) deal - where Australia will buy second-hand US submarines to replace its ageing fleet - was "long overdue," the BBC reported.
He also said the inquiry would consider if the submarines can be delivered on time and on budget, how nuclear waste will be managed and if Australia's defense and strategic interests are well served by the deal, the Guardian reported.
This inquiry has dealt a blow to the AUKUS pact, while also reflecting concerns among some Australian Labor Party figures over the prospects of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, its staggering costs, distrust of the US government, and the program's implications for Australia's sovereignty, Ning Tuanhui, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
After Garrett's inquiry, Labor backbencher Ed Husic urged a new vote on the future of the AUKUS submarine pact, warning the deal as it stood could impact sovereignty, news outlet The Australian reported.
Ning said these developments have left the Anthony Albanese administration caught between internal rifts within its own party and relentless opposition censure, placing the government under mounting pressure from two flanks.
"This will likewise cast tangible headwinds over the administration's future efforts to advance the pact," he added.
The BBC reported that the inquiry will ask how the deal will affect Australia's relationship with China, its largest trading partner.
The inquiry specifically calls for an assessment of AUKUS's impact on China-Australia relations, indicating that some figures within Australia are rethinking whether sacrificing ties with China to align with US geopolitical objectives truly serves Australia's national interests, Chen Hong, director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.
The AUKUS deal was announced in September 2021, and while it is not explicitly stated, it is believed to be about countering China's growing presence in the so-called Indo-Pacific region, and about the South China Sea issue, according to a BBC report.
A growing number of Australians clearly see that the US prioritizes its own interests, not those of its allies, and the consensus is also deepening that relying on the Chinese market while proactively defining China as a potential adversary is a strategic contradiction, Chen added.
Concerns are growing within Australia over the US role in and commitment to the AUKUS pact. Husic warned that Australia needs a backup plan for the AUKUS submarine agreement, arguing that sluggish US production and the "transactional nature" of the current US administration have put the multibillion-dollar defense deal at risk, per BBC News.
Arthur Rorris, the secretary of the South Coast Labour Council, which opposes the establishment of a nuclear submarine base at Port Kembla, said the proposed base was never intended for Australian submarines but "would be ceded to the US navy as a staging post for their 7th fleet," the Guardian reported.
Australia's case underscores that tying one's strategic and economic fortunes to the US at steep costs may yield heightened troubles and lingering uncertainties, serving as a sobering wake-up call for Washington's other allies, Ning said.
Newly released footage from the Wolong area of Giant Panda National Park in Southwest China's Sichuan Province shows the world's only known wild white panda wandering across snow-blanketed forests and bamboo groves, chinanews.com reported.
This was the first time in several years that the rare albino giant panda has been fully captured by an infrared-triggered camera equipped with real-time transmission capabilities, the report said.
The footage shows the all-white giant panda calmly roaming through dense forests and bamboo groves, pausing at times to forage for food and patrol its habitat.
Compared with its appearance as a cub when first discovered in 2019, the white giant panda has now reached adulthood, and appears healthy and agile. It appears to have adapted exceptionally well to the wild, and its natural habitat independently, according to chinanews.com.
According to Tan Yingchun, project lead of the conservation and research program for white giant pandas at the Wolong National Nature Reserve, judging by footage captured by infrared cameras, this white giant panda boasts a robust physique, and the fur of its limbs tint faint golden-brown in adulthood.
The panda is seen moving solo in every recorded clip, leading researchers to estimate its age at around 9 and conclude that it has long been fully independent.
