China's representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Defense Ministers' Meeting - Plus (ADMM-Plus) was not personally welcomed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in Cebu on Thursday.

Senior Captain Yang Lei, Defense Attache to the Philippines of the People's Republic of China, was welcomed by Defense Undersecretary Ignacio Madriaga.

The other ASEAN representatives were greeted by Teodoro during the entrance ceremony of the two-day meeting

The Chinese Embassy in Manila, in reply to a question why a defense attache attended the ADMM-Plus citied a post by Senior Col Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense.

''As the rotating chair of this year's ADMM-Plus, the Philippine side has allowed a certain self-serving politician to act recklessly and abuse its chairmanship to put up obstacles to China’s participation. Such moves seriously violate ASEAN's principle of consensus through consultation and run counter to the open and inclusive spirit of the ADMM-Plus. They do not conform to basic diplomatic protocols, and undermine China's legitimate rights as a member of the mechanism. Many ASEAN countries have raised questions and opposition over this,'' said Zhang.

The politician was not named.

In his X account, Ray Powell, a former US defense attaché who served in the US Air Force said that China should have sent their defense minister if they wanted Teodoro to personally receive their representative.

"Defense ministers and defense attaches are NOT 'counterparts'. I say this as a former defense attache myself: being received by an undersecretary is perfectly honorable," he said.

"If they wanted Secretary Teodoro to personally receive him, they should have sent their defense minister," he added. Robina Asido/PHS