During the Seoul Defence Dialogue in South Korea, Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. publicly criticized China after an individual handed him a note outlining Beijing’s stance on the South China Sea while he was speaking on stage.
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The Incident: Mid-speech, a man in a white coat approached the podium and placed a paper before Teodoro. Teodoro paused, read the contents aloud to the audience—highlighting Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 UNCLOS arbitration ruling—and used the moment to challenge China’s diplomatic conduct.
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Strong Condemnation: Teodoro labeled the act “actual coercion, bullying, and aggression,” stating that it showed a disrespect for international law, the forum’s hosts, and basic decency. He remarked that he would keep the paper as a memento of “how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is.”
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Broader Geopolitical Context: Teodoro leveraged the interruption to spotlight daily territorial challenges the Philippines faces in its exclusive economic zone, noting that Manila has been compelled to build stronger security partnerships to counter regional pressures.
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Core Dispute: The note referenced the landmark 2016 international arbitration ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which overwhelmingly favored Manila by declaring Beijing’s expansive nine-dash line claims unlawful—a ruling that China continues to reject.
The Department of National Defense of the Philippines later highlighted the incident on social media, sharing footage of the exchange as a defense of national sovereignty.
