Category Archives: News

Can Hague ruling help curb China advances?

Are China’s claims and actions in the South China Sea violations of international law? As early as by the end of this month, a court of arbitration in The Hague is expected to hand down the first ruling on the issue in a case initiated by the Philippines based on the U.N. Convention on the […]

On the eve of a verdict

Legal circles are abuzz with talk of an impending verdict in the dispute between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China. The arbitral tribunal that has jurisdiction under the compulsory dispute-settlement provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is said to be ready to promulgate judgment sometime in the […]

OPINION: Ways to make China comply

Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio discusses the Philippines’ options during his lecture before members of the Philippine Press Institute. The Philippines is not exactly helpless if the United Nations Arbitral Court decides in our favor in the case we filed against China and China ignores it. The Hague-based U.N. Artbitral Court is expected to […]

Indonesia president visits islands on warship, makes point to China

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president held a cabinet meeting aboard a warship off the Natuna Islands on Thursday (Jun 23), asserting sovereignty over waters in the southern reaches of the South China Sea after Beijing stated its “over-lapping claim” on nearby waters. President Joko Widodo’s visit to the remote island chain along with his chief security minister, […]

Trial of the Century: Philippines vs. China in the South China Sea

In the coming days, an obscure arbitral tribunal, constituted under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is expected to issue a final ruling on the Philippines’ complaint against China’s expanding (military and civilian) footprint across the world’s most important waterway, the South China Sea. As I argue […]

US warns China against ‘provocative actions’ if international tribunal rules against its sovereignty claims in South China Sea

State Department official says any ruling by the court in The Hague must be considered binding The United States has warned China against taking “additional provocative actions” following an impending international court ruling on the South China Sea that is expected to largely reject Beijing’s broad territorial claims. A senior State Department official voiced scepticism […]