On July 7, the Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague began its hearing on the case submitted by the Philippines against China regarding its South China Sea claims. As we get bombarded with news updates in the coming weeks, it is important to keep the broader significance of the case in mind. In terms of principle, […]
According to American scholar Robert D. Kaplan, the South China Sea (SCS) has become “Asia’s Cauldron”. Some refer to the SCS as “unchartered waters”. All recent developments clearly indicate that the SCS has transformed into a dangerous playing field for global powers. During the 1970s, Southeast Asia was considered a“troubled” region as a result of […]
As far as Malaysia is concerned, the presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels may potentially encourage it to respond aggressively by posturing and deploying military assets, which may in turn bring the two maritime forces close enough to cause a naval incident. Malaysia has preferred ‘quiet diplomacy’ to prevent any escalation in its relationship with […]
Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario on Tuesday gave a statement before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands explaining why the Philippines filed the case against China. The full text of his speech, as it was delivered, was released by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday with the subtitle “Why the […]
MANILA, Philippines – Vietnam, one of China’s two toughest challengers in the South China Sea, and 4 other countries sent envoys to a historic hearing that pits Manila against Beijing. In a news release on Tuesday, July 7, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) explained that the tribunal handling the Philippines’ case “has decided not […]
The Philippines says UNCLOS shows ‘that principles trump power; that law triumphs over force; and that right prevails over might’ DAY TWO. The Philippine delegation waits inside a session hall at The Hague, The Netherlands, for the second day of the oral hearings on the Philippines’ case against China over the South China Sea. Photo […]
NETHERLANDS – The Philippines has assembled a crack international legal team to fight an unprecedented arbitration case under the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea – ignoring growing pressure from Beijing to scrap the action. An ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau report said members of the Philippine legal team stayed up late last […]
Chinese authorities, as well as sympathetic writers, have in recent months sought to deflect criticism of China’s island-building campaign in the Spratlys by insisting that Beijing is merely copying what other claimants have done for years. According to this narrative, every claimant is as guilty as Beijing of altering the status of features in the […]
NETHERLANDS – The Philippines has assembled a crack international legal team to fight an unprecedented arbitration case under the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea – ignoring growing pressure from Beijing to scrap the action. An ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau report said members of the Philippine legal team stayed up late last […]
The Philippines argued at a closed hearing on Tuesday that an international court should intervene in its dispute with China over the right to exploit natural resources and fish in the South China Sea. Though China has declined to participate, the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is being closely watched […]