Manila tells its story as U.S. urges China to comply on anniversary of 2016 ruling
A Chinese Coast Guard ship allegedly obstructs a Philippine Coast Guard vessel providing support during a Philippine Navy operation in the disputed South China Sea on June 30. © Philippine Coast Guard/Reuters
MANILA -- The Philippines on Wednesday launched a website containing "official information" about Manila's arbitration victory against Beijing in their South China Sea territorial dispute.
Marking the seventh anniversary of the July 12, 2016, ruling that voided China's sweeping claims over the contested waterway, the site's launch represents the latest effort by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration to firm up Manila's position in the dispute.
China did not participate in the arbitration process and has repeatedly rejected the ruling by the tribunal in The Hague.
The homepage quotes a portion of Marcos' State of the Nation address to Congress last year: "I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power."
The website, set up by the Department of Foreign Affairs, is a repository of documents related to the arbitration as well as official speeches. It also features "frequently asked questions" on the issue and maps that show the extent of the "West Philippine Sea," which covers the exclusive economic zone stretching 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from Philippine shores. The zone overlaps with China's "nine-dash line," which is based on historical maps.
"[The] award definitively settled the status of historic rights and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea and declared without legal effect claims that exceed entitlements geographical and substantive limits set by UNCLOS," Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a statement. "It is now part of international law."
UNCLOS refers to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Despite the 2016 ruling, China has continued to assert its sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, where several other governments also lay claims.
The Philippine military last week reported the "alarming presence" of dozens of Chinese vessels near Recto Bank, an oil- and gas-rich area located within the exclusive economic zone. The Philippine Coast Guard separately said it was "constantly followed, harassed and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese Coast Guard vessels" during a naval operation last month.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on July 6 said the China Coast Guard had upheld China's territorial sovereignty and that the "Chinese side's maneuvers were professional and restrained."
The Philippines and China have agreed to set up a hotline to manage tensions in the disputed sea. But Marcos has also strengthened Manila's defense ties with the U.S. to counter Beijing's behavior. Marcos earlier this year granted the U.S. access to more Philippine military bases, and the allies are also planning to conduct joint patrols in the sea.
Marcos' stance contrasts with that of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who initially set aside the issue of the arbitration ruling to forge closer ties with China.
Washington has used the ruling's anniversary to reiterate a demand for Beijing to comply.
"We continue to urge Beijing to comport its maritime claims with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention; cease its routine harassment of claimant state vessels lawfully operating in their respective exclusive economic zones ... and end its interference with the freedoms of navigation and overflight of states lawfully operating in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
There was no immediate reaction from China.