Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. publicly rebuked Beijing during an international security forum after receiving a handwritten note restating China’s rejection of a landmark ruling on the South China Sea. The unusual exchange occurred Tuesday at the Seoul Defense Dialogue while Teodoro was discussing maritime security, Chinese coercion and the importance of respecting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
According to forum organizers, a Chinese military attaché assigned to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul gave the note to an event staff member and asked that it be delivered to Teodoro. The staff member reportedly mistook it for a message from the Philippine delegation and carried it onto the stage while the secretary was speaking.
Teodoro paused and read portions of the note aloud. It described the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award as illegal and without binding force, repeating Beijing’s long-standing position that it neither accepts nor recognizes the decision.“Of course, because you lost,” Teodoro responded, drawing applause from members of the audience.
The defense secretary accused China of disregarding international law and criticized the manner in which the message was delivered, saying it disrespected both South Korea as the host and other participants at the forum.“This is not a gray zone anymore. This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression,” Teodoro said.
Switching briefly to Filipino, he added: “Maging disente lang kayo ng konti, mahiya naman kayo ng konti,” which translates approximately as, “Show some basic decency; have some shame.”Teodoro said he would retain the note as a reminder of what he described as China’s “desperate and ineffective” position.
The 2016 arbitral tribunal, established under UNCLOS following a case brought by the Philippines, found no legal basis for China’s claim to historic rights over resources across much of the South China Sea. It also upheld several Philippine maritime entitlements. China refused to participate in the proceedings and has consistently rejected the outcome as “null and void.” Beijing continues to assert sovereignty over most of the strategically important waterway, overlapping with claims held by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
Reacting Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she was unfamiliar with the specific circumstances surrounding the note but reiterated that Beijing’s position on the arbitration was “clear and consistent.”Mao urged Philippine officials to stop “seeking attention and stirring up trouble” and accused them of undermining China-Philippines relations and regional stability.
Although Korean media and forum organizers traced the message to the Chinese Embassy’s military attaché office, the handwritten note was reportedly unsigned. China’s Foreign Ministry did not directly confirm that an embassy official had authorized or written it. The confrontation underscores the worsening relationship between Manila and Beijing amid repeated maritime incidents involving their vessels in disputed waters. Teodoro has emerged as one of the Philippine government’s most outspoken critics of China and was sanctioned by Beijing earlier this year over his statements concerning the territorial dispute.
