On Tuesday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. responded to Beijing’s questioning of the South China Sea arbitration ruling at a forum in South Korea and called on Chinese officials to show basic courtesy.
The incident took place during a multilateral defense leaders’ meeting on “International Stability and Cooperation Framework” where Teodoro and defense leaders from various countries were present.
During the discussions, Teodoro mentioned the South China Sea dispute, criticizing unnamed countries for undermining the interests of smaller nations through hostile actions and unrestrained power, emphasizing the need to uphold international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He cautioned that the threat of war becomes more imminent when force is abused without constraint and without justice.
Teodoro stated that the Philippines will not sacrifice its territory or sovereignty and will continue to resist actions that violate international law, which were widely interpreted as directed at Beijing.
In the midst of the forum, an audience member handed Teodoro a note.
Glancing at the note hastily, Teodoro remarked, “This seems to be a note from China.” Subsequently, he read out loud the contents of the note.
The note claimed, “The so-called arbitration ruling is illegal and invalid.”
“That may be your stance,” Teodoro responded.
The note referred to the 2016 arbitration ruling initiated by the Philippines based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which rejected Beijing’s historical claims over much of the South China Sea under the “nine-dash line.”
However, Beijing has consistently refused to acknowledge the ruling and continues to assert sovereignty over large swathes of the sea, leading to clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in waters claimed by the Philippines.
Teodoro then read another portion of the note, stating that China neither accepts nor recognizes the ruling. He retorted, “Of course, because you lost (the case).”
Teodoro emphasized that China’s position and the act of passing the note demonstrate a lack of respect for international law as the basis for arbitration and disregard for the participants at the forum.
He questioned, “In an international forum, aside from the questions I have been asked, how do you treat a country without respect for the forum organizers? How do you expect to handle this issue in a civilized manner? I ask you, when I am asked questions at the forum, should you present such documents to me? How will you deal with such behavior?” Teodoro demanded.
He stressed that such exchanges should respect not only the Philippines but also the host country South Korea and other participants, maintaining basic courtesy and respect.
The Seoul Defense Dialogue has been an annual multilateral security forum organized by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense since 2012 with the aim of promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional security cooperation. The forum was upgraded to a ministerial-level dialogue in 2023.
Teodoro added that if this note represents China’s position, it is equivalent to “throwing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the ground and trampling on it.”
“Perhaps what China should demonstrate is basic courtesy and behavior. In Filipino terms, it’s just ‘be a little decent, have a little shame’,” Teodoro said. His remarks garnered applause from the audience.
In a video later released by the Philippine Defense Department, Teodoro thanked the person who passed him the note at the end of his speech, adding, “You have just done a great service for your country, I hope you will not be sent to a Gulag camp for this.”
It is currently unclear whether the note truly originated from the Chinese government or delegation officials. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reports indicate that senior Chinese government officials did not attend the event.
In 2024, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faced provocations from a Chinese Brigadier General during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Marcos’ on-the-spot response was widely circulated on the internet.
At that time, Chinese representatives also questioned the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling.
These inquiries by Chinese officials align with the official Chinese narrative on the tense situation in the South China Sea: accusing the Philippines of causing trouble and criticizing the Philippines for following the commands of its treaty ally, the United States. However, nearly every neighboring country of China has faced similar accusations from Beijing.
In articulating the Philippines’ vision for international stability at the Korean forum, the Philippine Defense Secretary expressed that the future should focus on building “human survival, protection of human rights, health security, protection from natural disasters, access to education under a system of freedom of thought and speech, rather than state-supported lies and brainwashing activities.”