China’s stance on 2016 arbitral award, prevarication continues

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

(Pexels photo)

MANILA – China continues to ignore a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that dismissed China’s sweeping claim over the South China Sea, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.

Even more, Teodoro, in a international defense forum in Paris, France Wednesday (local time), said China also continues to engage in “a campaign of misinformation and disinformation” in an attempt to nullify the arbitral ruling.

“Activities of China in this sphere are well publicized to the world because of the Transparency Initiative in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea (WPS), which has been entered into by several interested countries, particularly the Philippines,” he said in his speech before this year’s Paris Defense and Strategy Forum (PDSF), forwarded to defense reporters Thursday.

“Yet the People’s Republic of China, upon which this Award is legally binding, not only continues to ignore but is actively waging a campaign of misinformation and disinformation at all levels to nullify it,” he added.

Incidentally, Teodoro said the arbitral award will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this coming July 12.

He called the ruling a “historic award” as it “affirmed UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) as the peremptory document that defines maritime entitlements, and no amount of contrivance or distortion can derogate from it.”

Aside from its misinformation and disinformation efforts, Teodoro said China continues to conduct campaigns, even in domestic issues and politics, to undermine the Philippines’ efforts to pursue its rightful claim under international law.

Despite this, the DND chief said the Philippines will not waver in standing for its rights in the WPS.

“Yet, my presence here signals the commitment of the Marcos Administration not to waver, but to stay the course for our own people and especially for future generations,” he said.

The Philippines won a landmark ruling in 2016 at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which declared China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea—based on its so-called nine-dash line— as having no legal basis under UNCLOS.

Despite the ruling, China continues to assert its presence in Philippine waters, prompting repeated calls from the international community and Filipino officials for full compliance with international maritime law.