Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro interrupted his own remarks at a defence forum in Seoul to read aloud a note passed to him setting out China’s position on the South China Sea, then rebutted it line by line in front of the audience.
Teodoro paused after receiving the handwritten message and told the room: “I have a note here. I think this is from China. You should have joined. May I read it?”, NewsFirst reported.
What the note said
The note restated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 arbitration ruling that found China’s sweeping maritime claims had no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It said China’s position on the arbitration was “clear, consistent and firm,” and described the award as “illegal, null, and void.”
Al Jazeera reported that the note came from a Chinese military attaché — a detail NewsFirst does not carry, describing the sender only as a Chinese representative.
The response
Teodoro answered immediately, turning the note’s own logic back on it.
“So, what you signed, UNCLOS, you mean, violates international law. That is what you mean.”
He continued: “The so-called award is illegal, null, and void. So says you. And has no binding force, because you don’t want to be subjected to UNCLOS. China neither accepts nor recognizes the award. Of course, because you lost.”
Sections of the audience applauded. Teodoro went on to criticise the manner of delivery, arguing it was disrespectful — not only to him, but to the forum’s hosts and other participants. Al Jazeera reported that he accused China of coercion, bullying and aggression in the South China Sea.
Why the 2016 ruling still matters
The arbitral tribunal at The Hague ruled in 2016, on a case brought by Manila, that China’s “nine-dash line” claim had no legal foundation under UNCLOS — a treaty China has signed and ratified. Beijing has refused to accept the ruling since it was handed down, and the dispute remains the central legal fault line in the South China Sea.
The exchange is unusual mainly for its setting. Positions of this kind are normally traded through diplomatic notes and foreign ministry statements, not read out by the recipient to a live audience at a multilateral security dialogue.
Not reported
Neither NewsFirst nor Al Jazeera reports a response from the Chinese delegation at the forum itself, or from the forum’s organisers on how the note reached the stage. Neither carries a Sri Lankan angle; Colombo has taken no public position on the exchange.
