PH defense chief says China needs to overcome "deficit of trust"br br China has a "deficit of trust and credibility" it needs to overcome in order to mend its fraught defense ties with the Philippines, though any breakthrough in the near term remains unlikely, said the Southeast Asian nation's defense secretary, Gilberto Teodoro, on Saturday, May 31.br br Speaking in Singapore Teodoro said that the threat of China's growing military prowess was "undeniable," echoing comments from his US counterpart Pete Hegseth.