Philippine Defense Secretary: China Is Attempting to Force Countries to Accept Claims to Sovereign..

Philippine Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro said in an interview that was published on the ANC 24/7 YouTube channel on December 15, 2023 that China is trying to cause other countries to accept its own version of international maritime law and to accept its claims that the South China Sea is entirely Chinese territory. He said that China is attempting to convert the South China Sea into a Chinese "lake," and that its use of large military-esque coast guard vessels to enforce its domestic laws in the South China Sea is part of the "legal narrative" that China is attempting to force other countries to accept.