SEOUL
\nThe Philippine defence chief has accused Beijing of \u201cbullying\u201d, alleging he was handed a Chinese note at an international forum that asserted China\u2019s expansive claims over contested waters. Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was on stage for a panel discussion at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on Tuesday when he received a paper from what appeared to be an event staffer, video shows.
\n\u201cI have a note here. I think this is from China,\u201d he said, before reading out its contents in the South Korean capital. \u201cChina\u2019s position on the South China Sea arbitration is clear, consistent, and firm… The arbitration violates fundamental principles of international law,\u201d he read.
\nThe mention of arbitration refers to a landmark 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague that overwhelmingly sided with the Philippines in its case against China\u2019s claims to the South China Sea.
\nMultiple nations in the region, including the Philippines, have territorial claims that overlap with China\u2019s, and altercations occur regularly in the heavily patrolled waterway. South Korea\u2019s defence ministry, which organised the forum, did not respond to media\u2019s requests for comment on Teodoro\u2019s allegation.
\nThe Philippine defence chief lambasted the note, arguing it was an act of aggression. \u201cIf this is a Chinese position sent to me, it not only disrespects international law,\u201d he said, but also the forum host and \u201cthe rest of the audience here\u201d.
\n\u201cSo, perhaps basic decency and behaviour is what China needs to do… This is actual coercion, bullying, and aggression,\u201d he said, noting he would keep the memo as a \u201cmemento of how desperate China is\u201d.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s Yonhap news agency reported a military attache at China\u2019s embassy in Seoul asked an event staffer to hand over the note. Media has not been able to confirm that account.
\nMao Ning, a spokeswoman for China\u2019s foreign ministry, said she was \u201cnot aware of the specifics regarding the situation on the ground\u201d, when asked about the incident by media at a regular news conference.
\n\u201cWe urge certain individuals in the Philippines to stop grandstanding and stirring up trouble, and to cease undermining China-Philippines relations and stability in the South China Sea,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL The Philippine defence chief has accused Beijing of \u201cbullying\u201d, alleging he was handed a Chinese note at an international forum that asserted China\u2019s expansive claims over contested waters. Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was on stage for a panel discussion at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on Tuesday when he received a paper from what appeared to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566498,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-566489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n