MANILA – The arbitration victory of the Philippines over the contested West Philippine Sea eight years ago was described by China as “a political circus dressed up as a legal action.”
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines reiterated over the weekend that China will never accept the ruling as valid, saying that “the arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and made an illegitimate ruling.”
The Chinese embassy further stated 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.
“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.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines’ petition against China’s supposedly historic rights over almost the entire disputed South China Sea. China has refused to acknowledge the arbitral ruling.
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.
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.”/PN
