In a recent forum in Beijing, organized by a Chinese think tank, that “claimed to bring together scholars, legal experts, and policymakers to engage in in-depth discussion on the historical and legal dimensions of the South China Sea,” representatives from the Philippine Embassy in China attended to reaffirm the legal authority of the 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines’ exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.
Coincidentally, the forum was held two days before the ninth anniversary of the landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, where the Philippines brought its case against China in 2013.
Embassy representatives who attended the forum noted the “predominant criticism of the [arbitral]award and of Philippine policy and actions in the [South China Sea] region.”
During an opportunity for an intervention, the Filipino delegation asserted that the ruling, along with its annexes, “proves the validity and legality of Philippine claims and they are available for everyone to study and read.” They also rejected the notion that the Philippines was the “troublemaker” in the South China Sea and was refusing to engage in proper dialogue with China.
“We disagree with the notion that the Philippines is not willing to engage with China. In fact, even with the arbitral award, the Philippines has continued to make efforts to keep lines of communication open, maintain proper dialogue, and engage positively with China as well as other claimant states, within the context of our legally settled claims in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international law,” they told the forum.
“We hope China’s actions demonstrate genuine willingness to engage and to produce constructive and positive outcomes,” they added.
Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro had also expressed concern over China’s continuing rejection of the ruling, emphasizing that it “persists with illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions under the cover of a revisionist, self-serving interpretation and application of international law, particularly UNCLOS.”
Whenever there is an opportunity to stand our ground against the Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, wherever in the world it may be, we should assert our rightful and peaceful claims, using our best arguments to convince whoever may be listening. Kudos to our representatives in Beijing who, despite the overwhelming odds, still braved the forum on hostile ground to argue our case.*
