Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
The Philippines on Friday rejected China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea, which were invalidated by a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the Philippine position was that its territorial dispute with China had been settled by the United Nations-backed PCA, which invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash-line claims over the South China Sea and upheld Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Citing the statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Daza said the findings of the PCA on the South China Sea “are no longer within reach of denial and rebuttal” and “are conclusive as they are indisputable.”
The PCA ruling rejected China’s historical claim over the whole South China Sea, which was based on its expansive “nine-dash line,” and consequently affirmed the Philippines’ sovereignty over the WPS, a part of the South China Sea.
Daza also quoted Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro’s statement on the 7th anniversary of the award on July 12 that the ruling “is no longer contestable and is beyond compromise.” It is also now part of international law, she said.
Lazaro also said Manila would use as a basis the arbitral award in continuing to uphold the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued the statement after China once again refused to accept the arbitral ruling and accused the United States of getting other countries to support it.
The international think tank Stratbase ADR Institute on Friday condemned what it described as China’s “blatant disregard of the ruling and persistent violation of international law.”
“The institute denounces all attempts by antagonistic and coercive states to thwart efforts to uphold and reinforce the 2016 Arbitral Ruling that underscores the victory of the Philippines and the peaceful resolution of disputes. We condemn the blatant disregard of the ruling and persistent violation of international law, particularly in the form of gray zone operations, swarming of foreign vessels, and destroying maritime resources within the Philippine territory,” Stratbase ADR Institute President Dindo Manhit said in a statement.
Manhit issued the statement following China’s claim that the arbitral ruling is “illegal, null, and void.”
“Maintaining a united front against those who violate the ruling, the international community’s increasing presence in the Indo-Pacific illustrates that it will not sit idly while belligerent actors infringe on the sovereignty of an ally and partner,” he added.
The think tank official reiterated that the arbitral award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the West Philippine Sea is final and legally binding on the parties of the proceedings.
“With this landmark ruling, the Philippines stands on the right side of history,” he said.
“Rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the award demonstrates the rule of law as a great equalizer among states.
It represents shared democratic values, particularly mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial rights. Since 2016, the Philippines’ victory has been unanimously lauded, recognized, and supported by states that espouse adherence to the fundamental value of the rule of law,” Manhit said.
On Wednesday, the Stratbase ADR Institute hosted a forum commemorating the 7th year of the Arbitral victory.
Foreign envoys from the Embassies of the United States, Australia, Japan, Delegation of the European Union, France, United Kingdom, and India participated in the event and delivered strong and powerful statements on the importance of respecting the arbitral ruling and the Philippines’ national sovereignty, upholding the international rules-based order, and building and strengthening alliances with like-minded countries.
Also on Friday, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Chinese government is further isolating itself from the international community by ignoring the growing consensus coalescing around the Philippine victory in the arbitral ruling on the WPS.
She said it was the height of hypocrisy for China to call on the rest of the world to stay out of the territorial dispute in the WPS.
Hontiveros added that the Chinese government itself all too willingly violates the sovereignty, rights, and interests of other claimant countries when it thinks it can get away with it.
“The world has spoken: the territorial claims embodied in the so-called 9-dash line have no basis in history or international law,” she said.
In other developments:
* Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi has urged Washington to “work with China” to improve ties during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday. The discussion on the sidelines of Southeast Asian talks in Jakarta on Thursday was the latest in a series of high-level interactions as the two sides try to ease trade and geopolitical tensions.
* Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Friday said India has expressed support for the compliance of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), by parties involved in the maritime dispute in the South China Sea. Manalo said he had a meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subdahmanyam Jaishankar during an annual gathering of various top diplomats held in Jakarta, where they agreed that international law, particularly UNCLOS, must be respected. India also conveyed its support for respecting the Philippines’ sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea. — Rey E. Requejo Macon Ramos-Araneta
*****
Credit belongs to: www.manilastandard.net
