A Chinese defense spokesman on Thursday accused the Philippines of undermining the principle of consensus and the spirit of openness and inclusiveness of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus by allowing a politician to obstruct China's participation in the meeting.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said the Philippines, as the rotating chair of this year's ADMM-Plus, had allowed a self-serving politician to act recklessly and abuse its chairmanship to obstruct China's participation.

"Such actions seriously violate ASEAN's principle of consensus through consultation and run counter to the open and inclusive spirit of the ADMM-Plus," Zhang said. They also violate basic diplomatic protocols and undermine China's legitimate rights as a member of the mechanism, he added. Several Association of Southeast Asian Nations members have raised questions and expressed opposition to the moves, according to Zhang.

On Tuesday, China announced that its defense attache at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines would represent China at the 13th ADMM-Plus held in Cebu on Thursday. Zhang said China's decision to participate under such circumstances demonstrated its firm support for ASEAN centrality and its responsible attitude toward regional defense and security cooperation.

"The Philippine side's willful attempts to hijack ASEAN and stir up trouble would only undermine the credibility of the ADMM-Plus and erode solidarity and mutual trust among ASEAN countries," he said, warning that such actions would also harm the fundamental interests of countries and peoples in the region, including the Philippines.

Established in 2010, the ADMM-Plus is the highest-level and largest defense and security dialogue and cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific. It serves as an important platform for countries to build trust, strengthen cooperation, and uphold regional peace and stability.

Zhang also responded to remarks by the Philippine president, who recently expressed hope that China and ASEAN could conclude consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to ease tensions.

"Improving and developing China-Philippines relations serves the common interests of both sides," Zhang said, adding that the Philippines should avoid allowing maritime disputes to dictate the course of bilateral relations and should not allow a small group of people to act recklessly and provoke incidents in the South China Sea, pushing bilateral ties into a dangerous situation.