At the same time, China’s Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the summit and its decision not to discuss the South China Sea during the meetings.
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China’s maritime safety administration said yesterday it would bar access to an area off the east coast of Hainan island for a three-day military exercise ending on Thursday.
In Hanoi, about 20 people were detained yesterday while protesting against China’s rejection of the global tribunal’s decision.
The Hague-based court ruled that China’s claims under the so-called “nine-dash line” violates the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which sets a country’s maritime boundaries 22 kilometers from its coast, and control over economic activities up to 370 kilometers from its coast.
Beijing has rejected the tribunal’s verdict and said the award to the Philippines would not impact China’s claims of over 90 percent of the sea.
China says the dispute concerns worldwide law on territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation rather than fishing resources and that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), to which it and the Philippines are signatories, does not apply.
Apart from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam ring the South China Sea waters, believed to hold untapped oil and gas reserves. China says it does not recognise the PCA ruling; but that doesn’t mean it is undisturbed by it. Is there a chance of getting the Arbitral Court’s ruling enforced?
Philippine consul general for Guam Marciano De Borja said, “What the Philippines is saying is that all claimant countries, including china, they have a right to claim”.
In his interview with Sputnik Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russian Federation in Global Affairs and Research Director at the Valdai International Discussion Club, suggested that Washington aims to provoke China into taking harsh actions in the region, referring to the possibility of establishing an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea by Beijing.
Another small group of activists gathered in front of the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi at around noon with banners that read “Thank you, Philippines, you have a fearless government” and “China, you must comply with worldwide law”, Tuyen said.
“To effectively fulfil its mission, the air force will continue to conduct combat patrols on a regular basis in the South China Sea”, he said.
Duterte asked former President Fidel Ramos to travel to China and start the discussions.
China is expected to increase its military investment in the South China Sea and significantly raise its overall defense spending to affirm its claim to the region. Justice Carpio said that McManus’ proposal can even be improved by converting China’s military installations in the Spratlys into marine research and eco-tourism facilities.
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China pressured countries in the ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations not to issue a joint statement on the ruling, diplomats said.
