U.S. to China: We will defend ally Philippines in South China Sea
U.S. to China: We will defend ally Philippines in South China Sea
Robert Besser
15 Jul 2022, 14:23 GMT+10
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called upon China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea
- He warned that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines if it comes under attack
- Blinken’s statement was released on the sixth anniversary of the 2016 decision by an arbitration tribunal set up in The Hague under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
MANILA, Philippines: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called upon China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, warning that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines if it comes under attack.
Issued by the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Blinken’s statement was released on the sixth anniversary of the 2016 decision by an arbitration tribunal set up in The Hague under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in response to the Philippine government’s complaint in 2013 of China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
At that time, China did not participate in the arbitration, rejected its ruling and is continuing to defy it.
“We call again on the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to abide by its obligations under international law and cease its provocative behavior,” Blinken said.
Beijing has not immediately responded to Blinken’s comments, but at a news conference in Malaysia’s administrative capital of Putrajaya, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is speeding up talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes the Philippines and three other claimant states.
“We will oppose bloc confrontation and Cold War mentality,” Wang told journalists, after meeting his counterpart in Malaysia.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have had claims to territories in the South China Sea, where an estimated $5 trillion in goods passes each year and is potentially rich in undersea gas and oil deposits.
Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said the arbitration ruling will be a pillar of his new government’s policy and actions in the disputed region, rejecting any attempts to undermine it.
In a statement, he said, “These findings are no longer within the reach of denial and rebuttal and are as conclusive as they are indisputable. The award is final.”
Share article:
Share
Tweet
Share
Flip
Email
