(Renato Etac via AP, File ). China has intensified the drumb…
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South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it’s taking notice of the ruling and hopes that through this momentum the South China Sea dispute will be settled through peaceful and creative diplomatic efforts.
On July 12, the PCA in The Hague, the Netherlands, issued the ruling on the case brought by the Philippines against China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.
“If our security is threatened, we of course have the right to set it up”, Liu said. “This would depend on our overall assessment”, he said.
China set up an ADIZ over the East China Sea in 2013, prompting an outcry from Japan and the United States, but the zone has not been fully enforced.
Influential Republican Sen. John McCain was among USA lawmakers Tuesday calling for the U.S.to challenge “China’s excessive maritime claims” regularly. Ei Sun Oh, principal adviser of Malaysia-based think-tank Pacific Research Centre, also said that he does not rule out the possibility of Vietnam seeking a similar arbitration, emboldened by the favourable ruling the Philippines received.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte held a cabinet meeting after the ruling was announced, but no comment was made about the what was discussed and the presidential palace cancelled a regular briefing on Wednesday.
He also warned of the risk of conflict, but said it was China that was standing up for worldwide law, by rejecting arbitration it had not consented to.
None of these punitive measures will come to pass, however, since China has declared the court’s decision “null and void”.
Sea lanes of communication passing through the South China Sea are critical for peace, said External Affairs Ministry. Tuesday’s ruling did not address this issue.
Speaking outside the Peace Palace in The Hague, Leiden University professor Jonathan London said the decision will “give countries with a common interest in worldwide norms something to point to and to rally around”.
While the decision is seen as a major legal declaration regarding one of the world’s most contested regions, the true impact is uncertain, given the tribunal has no power of enforcement.
Zarate said a resolution of the JMSU case was crucial now more than ever, ahead of possible bilateral and multilateral talks between the Philippines, China, and other claimant countries in the disputed South China Sea.
Since its founding, the People’s Republic of China has been firm in upholding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.
The ruling was expected to further ramp up tensions in the region, where China’s increased military assertiveness has spread concern among its neighbours, and in Washington.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest encouraged all parties to “acknowledge the final and binding nature of this tribunal”.
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“We certainly urge all parties to take steps to ease tensions, to refrain from provocative actions that would escalate tensions and lead to greater uncertainty”, she said.
