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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider China stands by WPS claim despite arbitral ruling

China stands by WPS claim despite arbitral ruling

Published Aug 8, 2023 03:24 am

China is standing by its claim over the West Philippine Sea and has even made various demands, including telling the Philippines to remove its military vessel from its waters and demanding the US to stop using the South China Sea issue to sow discord among countries in the region, in clear contravention of the rulings made by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016. 
 

China on Monday night maintained that it has territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the whole South China Sea and said the 2016 Arbitral Ruling "was a pure political drama staged in the name of law."
 

"The so-called award contravenes international laws, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), and is illegal, null and void," China's Foreign Ministry claimed, without providing details which part of the international law was violated.
 

UNCLOS sets the limitation of a country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The 2016 arbitral ruling affirmed the Philippines' territorial integrity over the West Philippine Sea, which is part of its EEZ.
 

On Saturday, August 5, at least 10 Chinese vessels made concerted and dangerous actions against Philipine personnel by conducting water cannon attack and dangerous maneuvers to separate the country's boats and vessels on resupply mission.
 

China justified its action, which the Philippine government already justified as they were not only illegal but also put the lives of the Filipino personnel at risk.
Beijing even cited that what it did had "historical context" to prove it needed to be done.
 

"In 1999, the Philippines sent a military vessel and deliberately ran it aground at Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to change the status quo of Ren’ai Jiao illegally. China immediately made serious démarches to the Philippines, demanding the removal of the vessel," it said.
 

"On August 5, in disregard of China's repeated dissuasion and warning, the Philippines sent two vessels that intruded into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao... The China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels stopped them in accordance with law and warned them off through appropriate law enforcement measures. Their maneuvers were professional, restrained and beyond reproach," it also said.
 

China then demanded the Philippines to "tow away" its vessel in the Philippine waters. In a press conference on Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar refused to do so.
 

Beijing also accused the US of sowing confusion and discord in the region as it "attacked China's legitimate and lawful actions at sea aimed at safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law."
 

The statement that Washington released after the incident "also voiced support for the Philippines' unlawful, provocative behavior," China's Foreign Ministry said.
 

"China firmly opposes the statement. For some time, the US has been inciting and supporting the Philippines attempts to overhaul and reinforce its military vessel that was deliberately grounded on Ren’ai Jiao," it said.
 

"The US has been brazenly bolstering Philippines as it infringes upon China's sovereignty, but those moves will not succeed," it added.

Related Tags

Department of Foreign Affairs West Philippine Sea
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