MANILA – The Philippine government welcomed on Wednesday the United States’ “open support” for the 2016 arbitral ruling that nullified China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line map.
“We welcome the United States’ open support for the 2016 Arbitral Award. It is binding international law and the most authoritative application of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) on the maritime entitlements of features in the South China Sea,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodro Locsin Jr. said in his intervention at the Special Association of Southeast Asian (Asean)-US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Locsin emphasized that the decision “contributes to Asean’s rules-based order and benefits all the countries that use the vital artery that is the South China Sea,” and that the rest is “bluster”.
He also expressed gratitude to the United States for “reaffirming with greater clarity” its commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.
“In the Southeast Asian context, that translates to keeping the peace and maintaining stability without pointless distractions. Thank you,” he said.
On July 12, the fifth anniversary of the arbitral tribunal ruling, State Secretary Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to protect the country in the event of an armed attack on its public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea.
He also referenced a ruling by the Hague-based court that China has “no lawful claim” to the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) and the Philippines, pursuant to their treaty obligations under the Law of the Sea Convention, are legally bound to comply with this decision,” Blinken said in his July 12 statement.
“The United States reaffirms its July 13, 2020 policy regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea. We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government claims that the ruling is “illegal” and that it will not be recognized.
Aside from the United States, the European Union and countries such as Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, and Denmark have recognized the ruling, joining the Philippines in commemorating its fifth anniversary last Monday.
