Philippines defence chief gets surprise China note: What happened next | WATCH

Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto C Teodoro publicly confronted China during a defence forum in South Korea after he received a note outlining Beijing’s position on the South China Sea arbitration.

The incident was captured on video, showing a man dressed in a white sports jacket approaching Teodoro from behind and placing a document on the adjacent table. Forum organisers and South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency indicated that the message originated from a Chinese military attaché stationed at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.

According to Yonhap, the attaché passed the slip to a member of the event staff with instructions to hand it to Teodoro. The staff member mistakenly assumed the memo came from the Philippine delegation and delivered it while Teodoro was actively speaking.

Teodoro paused and read the slip aloud.

“I have a note here, I think this is from China. And may I read it?” Teodoro told the audience.

The note said China’s position on the South China Sea arbitration was “clear, consistent and firm” and argued that the 2016 arbitration violated “fundamental principles of international law”.

Teodoro challenges China’s position

The note referred to the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration, in which an international tribunal ruled that there was no legal basis for China’s expansive historic-rights claims over resources within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

China has rejected the ruling and maintained that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over the case.

After reading the note, Teodoro challenged its argument and questioned why such a message had been delivered to him while he was speaking at an international forum.

He also criticised the manner in which the message was delivered, saying it was disrespectful to South Korea as the host as well as to the other participants.

“If this is a Chinese position sent to me, it not only disrespects international law, throwing UNCLOS to the floor and trampling upon it, but it also disrespects the basic decency accorded to our most gracious host, the Republic of Korea, and the rest of the audience here,” Teodoro said.

He then accused Beijing of using pressure and intimidation.

“This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression,” he said.

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‘How desperate China is’

Teodoro said he would keep the note as a reminder of what he described as China’s ineffective position before an international audience.

 

“I will keep this paper as a memento of how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is in the face of a free audience,” he said.

He also made a sarcastic remark to the person who had delivered the note. "You've just done your country a great service. Thank you, and I hope you don't suffer in a gulag for it,” Teodoro said.

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South China Sea tensions at the centre

Teodoro used the unexpected exchange to highlight the Philippines’ broader dispute with China in the South China Sea.

He accused Beijing of trying to occupy and assert its presence over Philippine territory and its exclusive economic zone, saying Manila faces challenges from China on a daily basis.

The Philippine defence chief said these tensions had pushed Manila to strengthen its defence partnerships and alliances.

“We live in a very interconnected world, and there is no right for any state to appropriate an international common for its exclusive use or right,” Teodoro said, pointing to international norms governing disputed waters.

The South China Sea remains a major flashpoint between China and the Philippines, with both sides accusing each other of violating their maritime rights.

The Philippines continues to cite the 2016 arbitration ruling in challenging China’s claims, while Beijing maintains its rejection of the decision.

The unusual exchange at the Seoul forum has now drawn fresh attention to the increasingly tense relationship between the two countries.