The Philippines on Sunday renewed its call for compliance with a four-year-old arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s vast claims in the disputed South China Sea on historical grounds “without any possibility of compromise.”
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr issued the call on the anniversary of the July 12, 2016, ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that “conclusively settled the issue of historic rights and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea” based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The award is non-negotiable,” Locsin said. “The tribunal authoritatively ruled that China’s claim of historic rights to resources within the sea ... had no basis in law.”
It was the strongest statement the Philippines has issued so far in marking the milestone.
China has dismissed the decision as a “sham” and refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings after the administration of then-Philippine president Benigno Aquino III in 2013 challenged China’s claims to virtually the entire disputed area.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has nurtured close ties with China since taking office in 2016, raised the issue last year in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jingping (習近平), who he said flatly told him: “We will not budge.”
Duterte has long been criticized by nationalists and left-wing groups for not immediately and strongly demanding Chinese compliance with the ruling after he took office.
The ruling also upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone
“Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law,” Locsin said.
“We commemorate the issuance of the award as a celebration of the rule of law, as a means to settle disputes amicably ... and clearly mark out who would be in the wrong to insist on claims contrary to this award,” he said.
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