
MANILA, April 30 (Reuters) - China's "aggressive" actions in the South China Sea must be deterred and its moves have caused great damage to the goodwill Chinese people should have, the Philippines' Defense Secretary said on Wednesday.
Peace is best backed with resilience and deterrence, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a joint press conference alongside his New Zealand counterpart Judith Collins, who said the strategic environment was "deteriorating".
The Philippines and New Zealand earlier strengthened defence ties with the signing of a landmark troop pact on Wednesday, opening the way for expanded military cooperation amid shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.