Teodoro: Chinese defense attache in South Korea handed pro-China note at Seoul forum

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said the individual who handed him a pro-China note during the Seoul Defense Dialogue was the Chinese defense attaché assigned to South Korea.

“Sabi ng mga organizers, yung Chinese Defense Attaché na nakatalaga sa Korea,” Teodoro said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(According to the organizers, it was the Chinese Defense Attaché assigned to Korea.)

On September 8, Teodoro lashed out at China's massive claims in the South China Sea after he was handed a note while speaking before the defense and security forum in Seoul.

Teodoro recalled previous incidents at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore where Chinese officials had raised aggressive or mocking questions toward Philippine officials.

“May nagtanong din na Chinese general, pero yung tanong ay hindi tanong. Tanong na hindi lang agresibo, yung tanong na pangungutya,” he said.

(A Chinese general also asked questions, but the question was not entirely a question. It was a question that was not only aggressive, but full of sarcasm.)

“Nagtatanong, isang coronel, nakatalaga sa akin yun, na pangungutya siya na naman yung tanong. Tapos, sa past two years, meron silang mga troll na animo media, papainan ka ng tanong,” he added.

(There was also a colonel asking questions, targeting me with a sarcastic question. The past two years, they have trolls pretending to be members of media.)

He also cited a similar incident at the Seoul Defense Dialogue the previous year when a Chinese defense attaché supposedly used a question to lecture participants about China's position.

For Teodoro, these incidents showed a pattern of behavior that he described as “wolf warrior diplomacy.”

He also called out statements and posts from the Chinese Embassy in Manila targeting Philippine officials including himself and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila about the matter but it has yet to provide a statement as of posting time. — RSJ, GMA News