Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. sharply criticized China over the South China Sea on Tuesday during a Seoul forum that was originally intended to promote dialogue and security cooperation among officials and experts from dozens of countries.
Teodoro was participating in the first plenary session of the Seoul Defense Dialogue, hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, which focused on ways to build a more stable international order amid growing geopolitical tensions.
During the discussion, Teodoro turned to the South China Sea dispute, accusing some countries of using hostility and unchecked power at the expense of smaller states and stressing the need to uphold international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He said the Philippines would not sacrifice its territory or sovereignty and would continue to resist actions that violated international law, in remarks widely seen as directed at China.
As Teodoro continued his criticism, he was handed a note from someone in the audience.
After briefly looking at it, Teodoro said, “This seems to be a note from China,” before reading it aloud.
The note reportedly said that the “so-called arbitral award is illegal, null and void.”
“That’s your claim,” Teodoro replied.
The note appeared to refer to a 2016 arbitration ruling issued in a case brought by the Philippines under UNCLOS. The tribunal rejected China’s claim to historic rights over much of the South China Sea under its "nine-dash line."
Beijing has since refused to recognize the ruling and continues to assert claims over large parts of the waters, bringing Chinese and Philippine vessels into repeated confrontations in areas claimed by Manila.
Teodoro then read another line, stating that China neither accepted nor recognized the ruling, to which he responded, “Of course, because you lost.”
He went on to say that if the note represented China’s position, it amounted to “throwing UNCLOS on the floor and trampling on it.”
He also criticized what he described as a lack of basic courtesy toward South Korea as the host of the forum.
No senior Chinese government official attended the event.
It was not immediately confirmed whether the note actually came from a Chinese government or delegation official. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Seoul Defense Dialogue is an annual multilateral security forum hosted by South Korea’s Defense Ministry since 2012 to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional security cooperation. It was elevated to a ministerial-level forum in 2023.
The three-day event, now in its 15th year, brought together about 1,000 officials and experts from 67 countries and international organizations, including the defense ministers of the Czech Republic, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Uganda.
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