'Have Some Shame': Philippines Defence Chief Publicly Takes Bold Stand After China Handed Defiant Note Mid-Speech

Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto C Teodoro on Tuesday openly confronted China during the Seoul Defence Dialogue 2026 in Seoul after a Chinese official handed him a note about Beijing’s position on the South China Sea arbitration. He read the note aloud and strongly criticised China’s move, calling it “coercion, bullying and aggression.”

Chinese Note Interrupts Discussion

The incident occurred when Teodoro was speaking during a panel discussion when a staff member placed a note on his table. After noticing it, he paused and told the audience that the note had come from China. He then read out the main points of the message. The note said, “China's position on the South China Sea arbitration is clear, consistent, and firm" and claimed that "the arbitration violates fundamental principles of international law.”

(Image: Note from China, X)

According to Teodoro's reading of the note, the Chinese further said, “China neither accepts nor recognises the award and opposes it and will never accept any claim or action arising from it.” However, responding to the note publicly, Teodoro argued that China's rejection of the ruling showed that Beijing did not want to be bound by UNCLOS.

MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO | Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. responded to a note from the Chinese side during the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) 2026 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.#DNDPHL #DiKaPasisiil #SDD2026 pic.twitter.com/fsCRVphkgf

— Department of National Defense - Philippines (@dndphl) September 8, 2026

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Teodoro Criticises China

He strongly criticised the way the note was delivered during the conference. He described the action as "actual coercion, bullying and aggression”. He added that the move was disrespectful to South Korea, the event's organisers and other participants. Teodoro also told the Chinese side to “have some shame.”

He said, "There is a legal principle called 'res ipsa loquitur', the thing speaks for itself. 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 expect 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 behaviour?"

What Had Happened?

The incident comes at a time of growing tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea. Manila has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels of aggressive and provocative actions in disputed and international waters. A Philippine daily, Inquirer later cited the event's organisers as saying the note came from a Chinese military attache at the Chinese embassy in Seoul. It was given to a conference staff member and was supposed to be delivered to Teodoro. However, the member handed him the note when he was speaking.

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