West Philippine Sea: 2016 arbitral award ‘a political circus’, says China

This map is not to scale and is for visual representation purposes only. Graphics by: Samuel Yap / INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — China took a jab at the eighth anniversary of the 2016 Arbitration ruling affirming the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, calling it “a political circus dressed up as a legal action.”

In a statement released Saturday, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines reiterated that China will never accept the ruling as valid, asserting that “the arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and made an illegitimate ruling.”

According to the 2016 statement by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, China’s claims based on the nine-dash line “have no legal basis.” It also said that the “tribunal found that it could — without delimiting a boundary — declare that certain sea areas are within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, because those areas are not overlapped by any possible entitlement of China.”

READ: PH marks 8th anniversary of arbitral ruling on West Philippine Sea

The Philippines filed an arbitration case against China in 2013 following tensions at Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese vessels blocked Philippine authorities and prohibited Filipino fishermen from accessing the area.

China also claimed that Spratly Islands are under its “nine-dash-line” that covers nearly the entire South China Sea and parts of the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Chinese embassy further said that the Philippines “clings” to the illegal rule at the expense of its relation with China and that it is associating itself with countries such as the US to gang up on China.

“The Philippine side clings onto this illegal, invalid arbitral award at the expense of its relations with China. By aligning itself with the US and some other Western countries on the South China Sea issue, the Philippines joins the small circle of the west ganging up against China,” it said.

READ: China’s ‘nine-dash line, historic rights’ invalid – tribunal

“This shows how self-contradictory their policies are. To cling to this position and the arbitral award will get the Philippines nowhere but farther and farther away from the right path,” it added.

Countries such as the United States, Japan, and Australia expressed their support for the 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines. In a joint statement released in May, the countries reiterated their serious concern over  China’s “repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas Shoal, calling this conduct dangerous and destabilizing.”

Reports indicated that the Chinese Coast Guard’s actions in the West Philippine Sea included firing water cannons at Philippine vessels and ramming and towing Philippine Navy boats, resulting in injuries to authorities.

The Philippines on Friday commemorated the eighth anniversary of the 2016 ruling, with the Department of Foreign Affair saying that “the Award is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes.”

INQUIRER.net sought comments from Philippine authorities regarding the Chinese Embassy’s pronouncement but has yet to receive a reply as of posting.