What did Gilberto Teodoro say after reading the audience note at the Seoul Defense Dialogue?

Teodoro read the note line by line and answered each point with sharp retorts. He called China’s position desperate and ineffective, said it showed a lack of basic decency, and described it as coercion, bullying and aggression.

Why did Gilberto Teodoro reject the audience note defending China’s South China Sea position?

He said the note conflicted with UNCLOS and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that was final and legally binding. Teodoro mocked the argument that arbitration violated international law and said China’s refusal reflected its unwillingness to be subjected to UNCLOS.

What South China Sea issues were mentioned in the Seoul forum exchange involving China and the Philippines?

The note referred to China’s rejection of the arbitration ruling, the invalidation of the nine-dash line claims, and the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. The article also says China has kept building artificial islands around the Spratly Islands and interfering with Philippine maritime activities.

Philippine defense chief slams China over audience note on South China Sea at Seoul forum

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Summary

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro lashed out at China at a Seoul defense forum Tuesday after an audience note defended Beijing’s rejection of a 2016 arbitration ruling on the South China Sea. He said China was showing a desperate and ineffective stance and accused it of coercion, bullying and aggression. Teodoro also rejected claims that the ruling had no binding force, saying the country lost because it did not want to be subjected to UNCLOS. The forum exchange came as he was discussing maritime challenges and compliance with international law.

Key Facts

Teodoro was speaking at the Seoul Defense Dialogue while addressing maritime challenges facing the Philippines and the importance of compliance with UNCLOS.
The note he read cited the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s nine-dash line claims beyond its territory in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
Teodoro responded to the note by saying that the claim UNCLOS violated international law meant UNCLOS did not violate international law.
He said China had continued to build artificial islands around the Spratly Islands and interfered with Philippine maritime activities.
Teodoro told the audience member who passed the note, Youve just done your country a great service, and I hope you dont suffer in a gulag for it.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 8, 2026 3:28 pm KST

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro speaks during a panel session at the Seoul Defense Dialogue at The Grand Lotte Seoul hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Captured from the Seoul Defense Dialogue 2026 YouTube livestream

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro lashed out at China during a Seoul defense forum Tuesday after receiving an audience note defending Beijing's rejection of a 2016 international tribunal ruling upholding Manila's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Teodoro was addressing maritime challenges facing his country and the importance of compliance with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) during a panel discussion at the Seoul Defense Dialogue when a forum staff member passed him a note from the audience.

Pausing his remarks, Teodoro read the note aloud to the room, which asserted Beijing's stance against the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that invalidated China's "nine-dash line" claims beyond its territory in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone.

Although the PCA ruling was final and legally binding under UNCLOS, China has rejected the decision as "null and void" and continued to build artificial islands around the Spratly Islands and interfered with the Philippines' maritime activities.

The secretary read the slip line by line and offered sharp retorts to each point. When the note claimed that arbitration violated fundamental international law, he shot back, "So what you're saying is UNCLOS violates international law? That's what you mean."

Reading the part where it read the PCA award has "no binding force," he said, "Because you don't want to be subjected to UNCLOS," and to that Beijing "neither accepts nor recognizes" the ruling, with Teodoro quipping, "Of course, because you lost."

Teodoro then held up the slip of paper to the room, denouncing the gesture as a display of China's "desperate and ineffective" stance, accusing Beijing of a complete lack of "basic decency" and utter disrespect for international law.

"Perhaps basic decency and behavior are what China needs," he said, drawing applause from the audience. "This is not a gray zone anymore. This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression."

He then landed a biting jab at the unknown audience member who handed over the note.

"You've just done your country a great service. Thank you, and I hope you don't suffer in a gulag for it."

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