'Memento of how desperate China is': Philippines defence secretary calls out Beijing after being interrupted by a note

In an unprecedented diplomatic masterclass, Defence Secretary for the Philippines Gilbert Teodoro publicly called China out after the Chinese military attache handed him a note saying that China's claim that the 2016 South China Sea ruling is "illegal, null and void". 

Stopping short in his remarks at the Seoul Defence Dialogue, the Philippine Defence Secretary said, "I have a note here. I think this is from China." He then asked the crowd if he could read what was written in the note. 

The note, which went viral on social media, referred to the 2016 legal case wherein Philippines and China were up in arms against one another under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The case, also known as the South China Sea Arbitration, determined that China unlawfully reclaimed land in the Philippines' National Waters.  Since then, Beijing has accused the Philippines of infringing on China's sovereignty in disputed waters. 

Read the full note here

After reading the note aloud, Teodoro asked the crowd, "How can you deal with a country in an international forum - beyond the question asked to me - disrespecting the organisers of this forum, how do you expected to deal with it civilly?"

"I ask you the question, is this the right paper to post to me when I'm being asked a question on the floor? And how will you treat this kind of behavior? It not only disrespects, shows, 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 accorded that should be accorded to our most gracious host, the Republic of Korea and the rest of the audience here," he added. 

Later, he thanked the person who gave him the note, saying, "So, perhaps basic decency and behavior is what China needs to do. This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression. 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. Thank you very much for the person who gave me this piece of paper. You have just done your country a great service."

He further said that Philippines faces challenges daily from China, which tries to occupy and illegally assert its presence over Filipino territory, particularly their exclusive economic zone. 

"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. In contravention with the UNCLOS. 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. So the Philippines has been forced to enter into creative defense arrangements and alliances," Teodoro concluded.