Victory over China

Is it time to bring out the champagne?

The Philippines scored a victory at the international Arbitral Tribunal after the panel unanimously decided that it has jurisdiction over the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines involving parts of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea.)

The decision means that the tribunal, convened under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), will hold further hearings to settle the increasingly contentious dispute.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration “on behalf of the Arbitral Tribunal in the Philippines v. China arbitration” clarified that the dispute was not about sovereignty, as China has claimed.

“This arbitration concerns the role of ‘historic rights’ and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, the status of certain maritime features in the South China Sea and the maritime entitlements they are capable of generating, and the lawfulness of certain actions by China in the South China Sea that are alleged by the Philippines to violate the Convention.”

The panel concluded that it had jurisdiction over the case. It expects to render its decision on the merits and remaining jurisdictional issues in 2016.

With this decision of the Arbitral Tribunal, the Philippines has won round one of its campaign to invalidate China's claims over disputed territory in the South China Sea. Meantime, the government should gradually beef up the country's military capabilities and at the same time harness greater international support for our position that the dispute should be settled according to international law. 

Image by: muntr.org