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

China has accused Philippine officials of “grandstanding and lying” after Manila’s defence secretary publicly read aloud a Chinese diplomat’s note on the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">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 China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.Teodoro was speaking at the Seoul Defence Dialogue. Photo: X/Department of National Defence – PhilippinesMao 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 China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea arbitration.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 China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">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.Teodoro said the move was impolite to their South Korean hosts.