US, UK, Aust and others reaffirm South China Sea ruling
The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and a number of other Western and Asian countries have again asserted that China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea are illegal, based on a 2016 arbitration award.
In the joint statement issued by the countries, it was stated that they rejected “destabilizing” actions that threaten regional peace in the disputed waters.
The landmark decision “is a significant milestone and is final, legally binding and conclusive,” the announcement on Sunday said, commemorating the arbitration decision delivered by a tribunal established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in The Hague on July 12, 2016.
China refused to participate in arbitration initiated by the Philippines in 2013 after a tense standoff in the disputed waters a year ago that resulted in Beijing effectively seizing a disputed shoal.
Beijing rejected the ruling in 2016 and continues to assert its claims to nearly all of the sea transit, a key global trade route long feared as one of Asia’s most active flashpoints.
“We reaffirm the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision that China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, including those based on ‘historic rights’,” the statement said.
The arbitral tribunal ruled largely in favor of the Philippines and ruled that, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, “China has no legal basis for asserting historic claims to resources” in the South China Sea other than normal territorial areas recognized under the convention.
The convention, largely considered the agreement regulating the world’s oceans and seas, came into force in 1994 and has been ratified by more than 170 countries and parties, including China and the Philippines.
In addition to the USA, UK and Australia, Sunday’s statement also included the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia.
“We reiterate our strong opposition to destabilizing or unilateral actions, including force or coercion, that threaten peace and stability in the region.” they said.
Chinese coast guard ships and support ships used powerful water cannons, military-grade lasers and dangerous interdiction maneuvers against Philippine forces and fishermen from rival claimant countries; these maneuvers led to collisions on the high seas and high-risk encounters in the air.
China did not immediately respond on Sunday, but in a statement issued recently through its embassy in Manila, Beijing said it would never recognize the 2016 decision, which it called “illegal, null and void.”
“The award will not change the historical and real basis of China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters,” the Chinese embassy in Manila said. he said, adding that the decision “will not weaken China’s resolve and determination to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
