‘Coercion and Bullying’: Philippines calls out China at Seoul defence dialogue

Seoul: A diplomatic confrontation unfolded at the Seoul Defence Dialogue after Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro received a note from a Chinese military attaché while he was speaking about maritime security and the South China Sea.

The note reiterated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the South China Sea and argued that the decision had no binding force. China has long rejected the ruling, while the Philippines maintains that it supports its maritime rights under international law and UNCLOS.

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Teodoro read the message aloud before sharply challenging China's position.

He accused Beijing's conduct of going beyond diplomatic disagreement, calling it “actual coercion, bullying and aggression” and questioning what he described as a lack of basic diplomatic decency at an international forum.

The incident comes amid persistent tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed waters in the South China Sea, where the Philippines has repeatedly accused China of using maritime and other “grey-zone” tactics to pressure its forces and constrain its activities.

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Teodoro has also warned that China could exploit any perceived gaps in the US-led regional security network. Earlier this week, he said Beijing could view the scaling back of some US-South Korea military exercises as an opportunity to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific.

At the same time, Manila is expanding defence relationships with countries including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand, France and the UK.

The confrontation highlights how South China Sea disputes are increasingly spilling beyond contested waters into international diplomatic and security forums.

For the Philippines, stronger partnerships with regional and extra-regional powers are becoming an important part of its strategy to counter coercive pressure.

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