Philippines defence chief gets China note mid-speech. Here's what he did next

Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto C Teodoro was handed a note from China, outlining Beijing's position on the South China Sea dispute, while he was speaking at a defence forum in Seoul. He read the note aloud before condemning China's conduct and reiterating the Philippines's position on the dispute.

In Short

• Gilberto Teodoro gets China's note on South China Sea position while speaking at forum
• Calls China's act disrespectful and accuses it of coercion and bullying
• China claims entire South China as its own, Philippines contests Beijing's claims

Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto C Teodoro was delivering his remarks on maritime challenges and the South China Sea at the Seoul Defence Dialogue when an unexpected interruption caught his attention.

A man in a white sports coat approached Teodoro from behind and placed a sheet of paper on the table beside him. Teodoro paused his remarks, picked up the note and began reading it.

The mood in the room suddenly changed as Teodoro realised it was a message from China. "I have a note here, I think this is from China. And may I read it?" he said on Tuesday in remarks that have gone viral.

Teodoro then read the note aloud. The note said China's position on the South China Sea arbitration was "clear, consistent and firm" and that the 2016 arbitration violated "fundamental principles of international law".

The note appeared to refer to the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration case brought by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The tribunal had rejected China's expansive historic-rights claims in the South China Sea, ruling there was no legal basis for Beijing's claims to resources within the Philippines's exclusive economic zone. China has rejected the ruling and said the tribunal had no jurisdiction.

But what appeared to be a deliberate interruption was actually the result of a mix-up.

The note, according to forum organisers, had been sent by a Chinese military attache with the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Yonhap News Agency reported. The attache had handed it to a forum staff member and asked that it be passed to Teodoro. The staff member, however, reportedly mistook it for a message from Teodoro's own delegation and handed it to him while he was speaking.

TEODORO BASHES CHINA PUBLICLY

As Teodoro realised what he saw as an attempt by China to press its position on the South China Sea dispute in the middle of an international forum, he did not let the interruption pass quietly.

He questioned why such a note had been delivered to him while he was speaking and challenged the legal argument contained in it. "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?" he asked.

He then accused Beijing of "coercion, bullying and aggression". "Perhaps basic decency and behaviour is what China needs to do," he said.

"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 that should be accorded to our most gracious host, the Republic of Korea, and the rest of the audience here," the defence chief added.

Teodoro said he would keep the note as a "memento" of "how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is in the face of a free audience".

Turning to the person who had handed him the note, he added a sarcastic jab, "You've just done your country a great service. Thank you, and I hope you don't suffer in a gulag for it."

ON SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE

Rather than letting China's note derail his remarks, Teodoro further upped the ante using the interruption to turn the spotlight on Manila's broader dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.

"I think it is well known to the public, to everyone here, about the Philippine situation where we face challenges daily from the People's Republic of China, which tries to occupy and illegally assert its presence over our territory and especially our exclusive economic zone," he said.

He said the Philippines had been forced to develop defence arrangements and alliances in response to the challenges it faces.

"We live in a very interconnected world, and there is no right for any state of that matter to appropriate an international common for its exclusive use or right, contrary to what the international norms clearly state," Teodoro said.

The South China Sea has remained a major source of tension between Manila and Beijing, with both sides repeatedly accusing each other of violating their rights in disputed waters. The Philippines has relied on the 2016 arbitration ruling to challenge China's claims, while Beijing continues to reject the decision.

Later, a red-faced China resorted to face-saving, asserting that Beijing did not know the details of the situation. But, as expected, it made it stand clear, saying that Beijing's position on the South China Sea arbitration case was "clear and consistent".

"We advise some people in the Philippines to stop trying to stir up trouble, stop undermining bilateral ties and stability in the South China Sea," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, without naming Teodoro.

What was meant to put China's position on the table instead gave Teodoro a bigger stage to challenge it. The brief note turned into a public dressing-down of Beijing, with the Philippine defence chief making clear that Manila would not be cowed by pressure, whether delivered across the negotiating table or slipped onto it mid-speech.

- Ends