Beijing Watch: During Seoul Forum Speech, China Passes 'Secret Note' to Philippine Defense Chief — Who Reads It Aloud, Mocks: 'Afraid of Being Sent to the Gulag?'

A handwritten note, which might have remained an inconspicuous diplomatic maneuver, unexpectedly turned into a public international political confrontation at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on September 8. That day, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was discussing South China Sea security and the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in maritime disputes. Midway through his speech, a staff member suddenly handed him a note. Teodoro paused, then stopped speaking and read the note aloud to the audience. The organizers later confirmed the note came from a Chinese military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. Teodoro held up the note for all to see, criticizing the act as lacking 'basic decency' and describing China's behavior as 'coercion, bullying, and aggression'—not mere 'gray-zone' tactics. Applause erupted in the room. He even joked about the staff member who delivered it, saying the person had 'done a great service for their country' and half-jokingly hoped they wouldn’t be sent to a 'gulag.' The note did not contain diplomatic pleasantries but reiterated China’s standard position on the 2016 South China Sea arbitration: the ruling was 'illegal, invalid, and non-binding,' and China 'does not accept or recognize' it. This wording is not improvised. Since the 2016 ruling, China’s Foreign Ministry has consistently used phrases like 'invalid,' 'non-binding,' and 'does not accept or recognize.' In July 2026, China reiterated that the so-called South China Sea arbitration ruling is 'illegal, invalid, and worthless paper,' and China 'does not accept or recognize' it. To date, China’s external propaganda outlet China Daily and its 'Fact-Checking Studio' have not denied this incident. In 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration against China under UNCLOS. China refused to participate. On July 12, 2016, the tribunal issued its final ruling. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) clarified that the case involved historic rights, maritime claims, the legal status of certain maritime features, and whether some of China’s actions violated UNCLOS. The tribunal did not rule on land sovereignty over South China Sea islands nor did it delimit maritime boundaries between China and the Philippines. On legal grounds, the tribunal explicitly stated that under UNCLOS Article 296 and Annex VII Article 11, the ruling is final and binding. China argues that the Philippines’ unilateral arbitration violated bilateral agreements and fell under China’s exclusion declaration under UNCLOS Article 298, meaning the tribunal lacked jurisdiction. Hence, China rejected both the arbitration process and the final ruling. The Philippine Department of National Defense later released footage and the note’s content, fully exposing the incident to the public. China’s subsequent response reiterated its established stance, emphasizing consistency and accusing Teodoro of 'staging a show' and 'provocation.' In recent years, China-Philippines South China Sea tensions have often been framed as 'gray-zone' competition—using coast guard vessels, maritime militias, legal and administrative measures, and diplomatic pressure to exert influence below the threshold of traditional military conflict. The Seoul Defense Dialogue, intended as a platform for exchanging security views, unexpectedly became a microcosm of legal and political struggle over the South China Sea. A single handwritten note, an on-the-spot reading, and the remark 'because you lost' brought the decade-old arbitration ruling back into the global spotlight.