'Coercion, Bullying And Aggression': Philippines Defence Chief Hits Back At China After Note Sent Mid-Speech

Manila: Gilberto C Teodoro, the Philippines' defense secretary, publicly attacked China after being handed a note with Beijing's position on the South China Sea while speaking at a defense symposium in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday.

The strange interruption occurred during Teodoro's remarks at the Seoul Defense Dialog, when a man in a white sports coat entered from behind and placed a sheet of paper on the table near the Philippine defense chief.

The episode was caught on camera and has since gone viral on social media, with Teodoro later challenging China's decision to deliver the message in the middle of his speech.

How The Note Reached Teodoro

According to the seminar organizers, the memo was sent by a Chinese military attache from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. The attache reportedly handed the paper to a staff member and requested that it be sent to Teodoro. However, the staff member mistook it for a message sent to the Philippine delegation and gave it to Teodoro while he was speaking.

Teodoro stopped his remarks after receiving the paper. He then picked it up and told those present, "I have a note here, I think this is from China. And may I read it?"

He proceeded to read the message aloud. The note stated that China's position on the South China Sea arbitration was "clear, consistent and firm" and argued that the 2016 arbitration had breached "fundamental principles of international law".

The message appeared to refer to the arbitration case initiated by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2016.

Why The 2016 Arbitration Still Matters

The 2016 verdict dismissed China's extensive claims to historic rights in sections of the South China Sea. The panel also concluded that Beijing lacked a legal basis to claim resources within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China has continuously challenged the verdict, arguing that the panel lacked jurisdiction over the case.

Following the event in Seoul, China's Foreign Ministry stated that it was unaware of the particular details surrounding the delivery of the memo. However, it reiterated that Beijing's position on the South China Sea arbitration remained "clear and consistent".

Teodoro Accuses Beijing Of ‘Coercion, Bullying And Aggression’

The Philippine defence secretary then questioned why the message had been delivered while he was addressing an international gathering. He asked, “how can you deal with a country in an international forum, beyond the question asked me – disrespecting the organisers of this forum. How do you expect to deal with it civilly?”

Teodoro said the manner in which the note was delivered was disrespectful not only towards him but also towards South Korea, which hosted the defence dialogue, as well as other participants at the event.

He went on to accuse Beijing of coercion and aggression, saying, “perhaps basic decency and behaviour is what China needs to do and this is actual coercion, bullying and aggression.”

Teodoro also said he would retain the paper as a reminder of what he described as China's desperation and its inability to convince 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.