Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro found himself at the centre of an unexpected diplomatic spat at a security forum in Seoul when a note from a Chinese military attaché was handed to him as he spoke about maritime challenges in South China Sea.
The incident took place on September 8, 2026 at Seoul Defence Dialogue (a major regional security forum hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense). Teodoro was in a panel discussion when a staff member of the forum came up to him and put a note on his table (written in English): “Don’t let anyone speak for you”.
Instead of ignoring the note, Teodoro paused his remarks and read it out loud to the audience: “Beijing’s position was that they rejected the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on competing claims in the South China Sea”.
Teodoro Reads China's Message Aloud
The note said that the arbitration ruling was contrary to basic principles of international law and confirmed China’s long-standing view that it was illegal, null and void.
Teodoro responded line by line to the claims. When the note said “arbitration award has no binding force” Teodoro replied “UNCLOS”. (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).
He then said one of the most striking lines of the exchange. When the note said that China did not accept nor recognise the arbitration ruling Teodoro replied: “Of course, because you lost.”
His response was interesting because the exchange took place live in front of an international audience — what might have been a behind-the-scenes diplomatic communication turned into a public confrontation.
Chinese Military Attaché Behind the Note
The note was from a Chinese military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, forum organisers said.
The attaché apparently handed the note to a forum staff member and asked that it be delivered to Teodoro. The staff member ‘must have thought it was a communication from the Philippine delegation’ and passed it directly to the defence secretary while he was speaking (in this case).
Teodoro then held up the paper and criticised how it had been delivered. He said China was lacking in basic decency and Beijing was using coercion and bullying tactics.
“This is not a gray zone anymore,” Teodoro said, describing the episode as “actual coercion bullying and aggression.”
The Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr, gave a master class in diplomacy at the Seoul Defense Dialogue.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 9, 2026
While speaking about how China is invading waters and territories which belong to the Philippines, the Chinese slipped him a text with.…
South China Sea Dispute at the Centre
The confrontation shows how Manila and Beijing have been at loggerheads over large swaths of the South China Sea for a long time.
The ruling in the 2016 arbitration rejected China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claims as being legally based and upheld key aspects of Philippines’ maritime rights under international law. China has repeatedly rejected the ruling and says it has no legal force.
The issue is one of the most sensitive security disputes in Southeast Asia and the Philippines is strengthening defence cooperation with the US and other regional partners.
Teodoro’s comments in Seoul came after he had said changes to US-South Korean military exercises could provide opportunities for China to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific.
A Diplomatic Moment Goes Viral
The unusual exchange went global quickly as footage showed Teodoro reading the Chinese message and responding to it in real time.
Instead of letting the unexpected interruption derail his presentation, the Philippine defence chief seized on it to reinforce Manila’s position on international law and the South China Sea dispute.
The episode has since become one of the most dramatic moments of the Seoul Defence Dialogue itself— how deeply contested maritime security issues remain in the region.
