Vietnamese crab exporterdouble-skinned crabs
Advertisement
South China Sea
ChinaDiplomacy

Beijing tells Manila to ‘stop lying’ after minister exposes South China Sea note

At Seoul Defence Dialogue, Gilberto Teodoro Jnr brands China’s handwritten memo on arbitration ruling as ‘coercion and bullying’

2-MIN READ2-MIN
58
Listen
Gilberto Teodoro Jnr read aloud from a note from a Chinese emissary, prompting China’s foreign ministry to protest and accuse Manila of "grandstanding and lying". Photo: X/ Department of National Defence - Philippines
Laura Zhou
China has accused Philippine officials of “grandstanding and lying” after Manila’s defence secretary publicly read aloud a Chinese diplomat’s note on the South China Sea that the Philippine minister described as “coercion, bullying and aggression”.

“We urge certain people in the Philippines to stop this grandstanding and lying, and to protect China-Philippine relations and the peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Mao was responding to a question regarding the remarks of Gilberto Teodoro Jnr who – while speaking at a Seoul Defence Dialogue session on Tuesday – received a note reiterating China’s position on the South China Sea arbitration.
02:29
‘Stop grandstanding’: Beijing slams Philippine defence chief after minister exposes South China Sea note

Teodoro read out parts of the handwritten note, which included Beijing’s rejection of the arbitration and a statement that the award in 2016 denying most of China’s claims in the South China Sea, was “illegal, null and void”.

The forum organiser later said the note came from a military attache at the Chinese embassy in Seoul, who passed it to a forum staff member and asked that it be given to Teodoro, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice