On a day when a regional security forum in Seoul was meant to be about cooperation, a small piece of paper crossed a stage and briefly exposed an old quarrel that never really closed. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro had just been handed a note mid-address, reportedly sent by a Chinese military attaché, restating Beijing's refusal to accept the 2016 arbitration ruling that still anchors Manila's claims in the South China Sea. It is the kind of moment that shows how difficult it is to keep diplomacy civil when the underlying legal disagreement remains unresolved, and when the setti
Philippine Defence Chief Calls China's Seoul Forum Note 'Coercion, Bullying' After Mid-Speech Interruption
"How do you expect to deal with it civilly?"
On a day when a regional security forum in Seoul was meant to be about cooperation, a small piece of paper crossed a stage and briefly exposed an old quarrel that never really closed. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro had just been handed a note mid-address, reportedly sent by a Chinese military attaché, restating Beijing's refusal to accept the 2016 arbitration ruling that still anchors Manila's claims in the South China Sea. It is the kind of moment that shows how difficult it is to keep diplomacy civil when the underlying legal disagreement remains unresolved, and when the setting itself becomes part of the argument.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was speaking at the Seoul Defence Dialogue when a man in a white sports jacket set a document beside him on the table. Teodoro paused, picked it up, and told the audience he had a note he believed came from China, asking whether he could read it aloud.
The message restated China's position on the South China Sea arbitration as "clear, consistent and firm," and insisted the 2016 ruling violated fundamental principles of international law. According to the forum's organisers and Yonhap, a Chinese military attaché at the embassy in Seoul had passed the slip to event staff, who mistakenly assumed it came from the Philippine delegation and handed it over while Teodoro was still presenting.
Teodoro questioned how countries could engage civilly at international forums when such messages were delivered mid-speech, arguing the method disrespected him, the host South Korea, and the other delegates. He described the episode as coercion and bullying.
The note touched on a deep legal dispute. The 2016 tribunal, brought by the Philippines under UNCLOS, rejected China's broad historic claims in the South China Sea and found no legal basis for Chinese resource claims inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Beijing has never accepted the verdict, holding that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction, while Manila continues to build its position on it.
The account of the note's origin rests largely on organisers and Yonhap, and remains an indication rather than a formal Chinese statement. Whether Beijing responds publicly, and whether the South Korean hosts comment, are the open questions now.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was in the middle of his address at the Seoul Defence Dialogue in South Korea when a man in a white sports jacket walked up behind him and set a document on the table beside him. Teodoro stopped speaking, picked it up, and told the room: "I have a note here, I think this is from China. And may I read it?"
The note, he then read aloud, said China's position on the South China Sea arbitration remained "clear, consistent and firm." It also asserted that the 2016 ruling violated "fundamental principles of international law."
The forum's organisers and South Korea's Yonhap News Agency indicated the message came from a Chinese military attaché posted at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. According to Yonhap, the attaché gave the slip to a member of the event staff and asked that it be passed to Teodoro. The staff member wrongly assumed it had come from the Philippine delegation and handed it over while Teodoro was still presenting.
Having read the note, Teodoro questioned whether it was appropriate to send such a message in the middle of his remarks at an international gathering. "How can you deal with a country in an international forum, beyond the question asked to me, disrespecting the organisers of this forum," he asked. "How do you expect to deal with it civilly?" He argued that the method showed disrespect toward him, toward South Korea as host nation, and toward the other delegates present. Describing the episode afterward, he characterised it as coercion and bullying.
The note touched on one of the most contested legal questions in the region. The 2016 arbitration was brought by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The international tribunal rejected Beijing's broad claims to historic rights in the South China Sea. It found there was no legal basis for China to claim resources in maritime areas that lie within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
Beijing has consistently refused to accept the verdict, arguing that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over the matter. Manila, for its part, continues to rely on the ruling as the foundation of its position in the maritime dispute, which is why a note restating China's rejection of it landed so pointedly during a Philippine minister's speech.
The account of how the note arrived rests largely on the organisers and Yonhap, and the attribution to the Chinese attaché is described as an indication rather than a formal statement from Beijing. What remains to be seen is whether China responds publicly to Teodoro's remarks, and whether the episode draws any comment from the forum's South Korean hosts.
Citas Notables
How can you deal with a country in an international forum, beyond the question asked to me, disrespecting the organisers of this forum. How do you expect to deal with it civilly?— Gilberto Teodoro, Philippine Defence Secretary
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