Gilberto C. Teodoro, the Philippines’ Defense Secretary, publicly criticized China after receiving a note detailing Beijing’s stance on the South China Sea while addressing the Seoul Defense Dialogue in South Korea on Tuesday.
As Teodoro spoke, a man wearing a white sports coat approached from behind and placed a sheet of paper on the table next to him.
“I have a note here, I believe this is from China,” Teodoro remarked, pausing his speech.
“And may I read it?” he asked the audience before reading the note aloud.
The note stated, “China’s position on the South China Sea arbitration is clear, consistent and firm. They have no position. The arbitration violates fundamental principles of international law.”
Philippines Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoso (5th from right) can be seen on stage with other world leaders during the opening ceremony of the 15th Seoul Defense Dialogue (SSD) in Seoul on September 8, 2026. (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP via Getty Images)
The note likely referenced the 2016 legal case initiated by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Known as the South China Sea Arbitration, the case ruled that China was unlawfully reclaiming territory within the Philippines’ territorial waters.
China has long rejected the ruling and consistently accuses the Philippines of violating its sovereignty in the disputed waters.
The protracted dispute has resulted in numerous tense standoffs between the navies of the two nations.
Two Philippine Coast Guard ships were reportedly surrounded by Chinese vessels in a tense standoff in the South China Sea on Monday, further raising tensions between the two countries, in South China Sea, Off Philippines on March 24, 2025. (Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“How can you engage with a country at an international forum—beyond the question posed to me—while disrespecting the forum’s organizers? How can you expect to engage with it civilly?” Teodoro asked the audience.
“I pose this question: Is this the appropriate document to hand me while I am answering a question on the floor? How should such behavior be interpreted? If this is a Chinese position being delivered to me, it not only disrespects international law—trampling the UNCLOS—but also shows a lack of basic decency toward our gracious host, the Republic of Korea, and the rest of this audience,” he continued.
“Perhaps basic decency and proper behavior is what China needs to practice. This is actual coercion, bullying, and aggression. I will keep this paper as a memento of China’s desperation and the ineffectiveness of its position before a free audience. Thank you to the individual who handed me this paper. You have just done your country a great service,” Teodoro added.
A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy navigates during a military display in the South China Sea. (Stringer/Reuters)
“It is well known to the public and everyone here that the Philippines faces daily challenges from the People’s Republic of China, which attempts to occupy and illegally assert its presence over our territory, particularly our exclusive economic zone, in contravention of the UNCLOS. We live in an interconnected world where no state has the right to appropriate international commons for exclusive use, contrary to international norms. Consequently, the Philippines has been compelled to forge creative defense arrangements and alliances,” Teodoro concluded.