China on Wednesday pushed back against Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s criticism of Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, urging him to stop what it called “provocations and theatrics.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks in response to questions about Teodoro’s comments during the Seoul Defense Dialogue in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Teodoro had sharply criticized China after a forum staff member handed him a note reiterating Beijing’s position that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling was “illegal, null and void” and had no binding force.
Asked about the incident and Teodoro’s characterization of China’s actions as “coercion, bullying and aggression,” Mao said she was not certain what had happened at the event but reiterated Beijing’s long-standing position on the arbitration case.
“I’m not sure what exactly happened at the event, but China’s position has always been clear on the so called ‘South China Sea arbitration,’” Mao said.
She claimed the Philippines had unilaterally initiated the arbitration case, describing it as a “distortion and abuse” of the dispute settlement mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
“It is the Philippines’ side who has violated UNCLOS and undermined its integrity and authority,” Mao said.
She also called on a “certain individual” on the Philippine side, appearing to refer to Teodoro, to stop what she described as “provocations and theatrics.”
“We urge the certain individual of the Philippine side to cut the provocations and theatrics, and stop undermining China-Philippines relations and stability in the South China Sea,” Mao said.
The 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling rejected China’s expansive claims to historic rights in much of the South China Sea and found no legal basis for such claims within the area covered by the so-called nine-dash line. Beijing has consistently rejected the ruling.
Teodoro, during the Seoul forum, had been discussing maritime challenges and the importance of compliance with UNCLOS when he received the note from the audience. After reading it aloud, he directly challenged the claims contained in the message.
