An worldwide arbitration tribunal on Tuesday ruled against China’s claims to rights in the South China Sea, backing a case brought in by the Philippines.
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“It will have enormous impact on future jurisprudence and on the perceived legitimacy of other claims in the South China Sea and around the world”, said Gregory Poling, CSIS fellow and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
Earlier this week, Chinese state-owned newspaper China Daily claimed that almost 70 countries support China’s stance on South China Sea issue.
President Duterte announced late Thursday he would send a former President, Fidel Ramos, to China to start talks on the ruling of The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. “I strongly hope that the concerned countries will comply with the decision and that will lead to a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea”.
China must abide by the same worldwide rules as everyone else, US Vice President Joe Biden warned after a UN-backed tribunal ruled against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.
President Barack Obama’s nominee for the next USA ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Kim, said the United States would support China-Philippines negotiations that were free from “coercion and undue pressure”. “What we want is to quiet things down so these issues can be addressed rationally instead of emotionally”, said one official, who wished to remain anonymous, according to Reuters.
The Department of Foreign Affair (DFA) on Saturday said Yasay said the favorable decision of the tribunal provides a legal basis to move forward, and that the Philippine government is now studying the ruling thoroughly.
Tung also criticized the US for frequently carrying out military exercises in the South China Sea, sometimes in conjunction with the military of another claimant to the disputed region, which helps to consolidate suspicions of many Chinese people that the USA pivot to Asia is to contain China.
One day later, he told Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen that China will work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to protect regional peace and stability as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to the strategic waterway. “The award is a historic win not only for the Philippines…it renews humanity’s faith in a rules based global order”, Calida told a forum. “The award is a crowning glory of worldwide law”.
At the heart of the South China Sea issue is the demarcation of what China refers to as its nine-dash line.
The court found that China had caused widespread environmental destruction because of construction activities, violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“War is not an option”, he said.
In a further show of defiance, Beijing followed the ruling by landing two civilian aircraft on new airstrips on disputed Mischief and Subi reefs and dispatched its coast guard to block a Philippine fishing boat from reaching a contested shoal.
Regarding the possibility of joint exploration with China in the South China Sea, Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio explained that the Duterte administration can not enter into an agreement for joint development of the areas or resources within the country’s exclusive economic zone because the Philippine Constitution prohibits this.
But the cautious tone appears to be changing in the Philippines, where there are signs of public disgruntlement with the subdued government response to a decision that most of the country was celebrating.
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He added that “we’re urging both China and the Philippines to abide by the ruling”. Biden met with the foreign ministry officials of Korea and Japan which he called America’s key allies in the Pacific.
