News
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Yasay contradicts Del Rosario, adopts one of China’s views
MANILA, Philippines – Spot the differences. Exhibit A: “The case before you is of the utmost importance to the Philippines, to the region, and to the world.” Exhibit B: “The case we filed before the arbitral tribunal with respect to our dispute with China concerns China and the Philippines alone.” “Exhibit A” is a quote […]
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The Rule of Law and the South China Sea
Earlier this month, a long-awaited decision by an international tribunal in The Hague ruled unanimously that there is no legal basis for Beijing’s “nine-dash line,” claiming sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea by ignoring the exclusive economic zones of neighboring nations (including the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) confirmed under […]
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PH complied with UNCLOS to win arbitration
Now the country needs quiet negotiations in invoking rule of law THE Philippines won in almost all its submissions against China in the South China Sea award by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNLOS) Arbitration Tribunal, including the main issues that compelled the Philippines to urgently file the arbitration complaint, namely: […]
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British MP in China propaganda video ‘deeply concerned’
LONDON: A British MP has complained about appearing in a video promoting Beijing’s claims in the disputed South China Sea, saying she was “deeply concerned” that her words had been misrepresented. Catherine West, a foreign affairs spokeswoman from the main opposition Labor Party specializing in the Asia-Pacific region, is briefly quoted in the video. The […]
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Is It an Island or a Rock? Ruling Could Cost U.S. a Huge Swath of Ocean
The U.S. and other coastal nations could lose millions of square nautical miles of ocean that are now in their exclusive economic zones. The loss would be an indirect result of an arbitration panel’s ruling on China’s dispute with the Philippines in the South China Sea. Largely overlooked in the tribunal’s July 12 decision was […]
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The South China Sea ruling and China’s Sinocentrism
The bilateral relationship between South Korea and China has advanced rapidly since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. But the two nations are still sharply divided on many matters. A case in point is how the two nations see the July 12th decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China […]
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Could Law Save the South China Sea From Disaster?
Printer-friendly version The ruling by the Annex VII Tribunal on the South China Sea maritime dispute between the Philippines and China lays down an unprecedented legal benchmark for disputes in the region. The unanimous decision of the five-member Tribunal addresses in detail all of the claims made by the Philippines. Only one claim was dismissed […]
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China tries to cover sun with palm of hand
Two weeks after the arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea issued its award to the Philippines, China continues to seek to undermine the legitimacy on the tribunal, making charges bordering on the slanderous against the judges concerned. While affirming “China’s non-acceptance and non-recognition of the so-called award,” the […]
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UN PCA ruling helps disputants worldwide
ANALYSTS have criticized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for doing China’s bidding, which was championed by Cambodia, China’s agent country in Asean, to disregard the UNCLOS Tribunal’s landmark ruling granting the Philippine petition against China’s takeover of the Philippine territories in the South China/West Philippine Sea and ordering China to stop its aggressive […]
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Former President Ramos’ mission
OF the many issues ruled upon by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, two are of utmost importance to the Philippines – our oil exploration at Recto Bank and fishing by Zambales fishermen at Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. There was a finding of destruction of reefs in some islands in […]
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China’s ‘might makes right’ strategy vs. international law
BERLIN – China has been expanding its frontiers ever since it came under communist rule in 1949. Yet no country dared to haul it before an international tribunal till the Philippines in 2013 invoked the dispute-settlement mechanism of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), setting in motion the arbitration proceedings […]
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As the Dust Settles on South China Sea Award, the Neighbourhood Reacts Cautiously
Some countries may want to use the verdict to needle China, but the neighbourhood has reacted cautiously, to ensure that any gains from political negotiations are not undone by the award. A fisherman repairs his boat overlooking fishing boats that fish in the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, at Masinloc, Zambales, in […]