Beijing has accused Manila of "stirring up trouble" following sharp remarks by Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who publicly mocked a Chinese diplomatic note delivered to him on stage during a security forum in South Korea.
The unusual confrontation unfolded on Tuesday at the Seoul Defense Dialogue. While Teodoro was addressing the forum on the necessity of upholding a 2016 international arbitration ruling against Beijing’s maritime claims, a person walked on stage and handed him a note.
Reading from the note, the minister said it said “China neither accepts nor recognizes” the arbitration ruling. “Of course,” he added, looking up to the audience, “because you lost.”
He criticized the delivery of the note as a sign of disrespect toward both the forum and international law, urging Chinese officials to "have a little bit of decency, have a little bit of shame." Although Chinese delegates attended the Seoul forum, none were scheduled as speakers or panelists, and the exact sender of the note remains unidentified.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated on Wednesday that she was unfamiliar with the specifics of the stage incident. However, she reiterated that China's stance on the South China Sea arbitration is "clear and consistent." Mao urged Philippine officials "to stop seeking attention and stirring up trouble and to cease undermining China-Philippines relations and stability in the South China Sea."
The diplomatic spat highlights the ongoing volatility over the South China Sea, a vital global trade corridor claimed almost entirely by Beijing despite overlapping claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. The legal dispute dates back to 2013, when Manila initiated arbitration after China seized a contested shoal following a tense standoff. In 2016, a Hague-based tribunal operating under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) declared China's expansive claims illegal—a decision Beijing has consistently rejected.
Support for the 2016 ruling remains strong among Western allies. In July, the United States, Britain, and over a dozen other nations issued a joint statement reaffirming that China's maritime claims lack legal basis under the ruling. Meanwhile, physical confrontations in the disputed waters have grown increasingly hostile.
The Philippine military recently reported a clash where Chinese coast guard personnel on a motorboat repeatedly struck a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden baton, causing injuries and damaging his smaller vessel. Conversely, Beijing claimed that two rubber boats belonging to an "illegally" stationed Filipino vessel had rammed a Chinese boat.
Reflecting on the escalating tensions, “This is not gray zone anymore, this is actual coercion, bullying and aggression,” Teodoro told the South Korean defense forum. Showing the delivered note to the audience, the defense minister added, "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."
