Chinese official attempts Wolf Warrior Diplomacy™. It does not go well

Philippines' Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro has become an unlikely viral star after a speech yesterday at the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral forum that usually only attracts the attention of policy wonks.

Teodoro was speaking up for smaller nations and international law, regarding the South China Sea, when a staff member handed him a note from a Chinese official.

The note was meant to be intimidating. But Teodoro just read it all out, eviscerated it line-by-line, and called the Chinese official out on their disrespect - both to international law and their South Korean hosts.

The video is below on our X, or you can find it on Threads or Bluesky.

China wanted to reiterate that it rejects a UN ruling on the South China Sea.

“Of course, because you lost,” says Teodoro.

He added: “This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression. I will keep this paper as a memento of how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is in the face of a free audience. Thank you very much for the person who gave me this piece of paper.”

The now notorious "Lotte letter" has now been shared online. The beloved Estonian-Latvian produced children's character of the same name was not involved.

The clip has rapidly gained so much attention because Teodoro gave a perfect masterclass in how to deal with modern day imperialist nonsense. Call it out. Don’t play by their game. Stubbornly stick to your values and international law.

As a result of the Chinese official's intervention, millions of people around the world have now heard the clear response to that.

"Thank you,” Teodoro adds, “and I hope you don't suffer in a gulag for it."