Archive - South China Sea

Shifting gears in just two days, President Rodrigo Duterte backed out from his challenge to debate with retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio about the withdrawal of Philippine Navy ships during the 2012 maritime standoff at Scarborough Shoal between China and the Philippines, as well as the latter's 2016 win at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

In reiterating his stance on avoiding “trouble” with China, President Rodrigo Duterte called the Philippines’ historic arbitral win in 2016 against the Asian giant on the South China Sea dispute as “just a [piece of] paper” that he would “throw into the wastebasket,” in a televised address on May 5.

Contrary to Roque’s claim, Locsin said he apologized only to his “friend” and counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and “nobody else.”

Blogger Sass Rogando Sasot, a vocal supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, made at least seven inaccurate claims about the West Philippine Sea issue as tensions in the region rise with the continued unauthorized presence of Chinese vessels in the Philippines’ maritime areas.

The president himself said in a speech in June 2019 that he would “of course” allow Chinese nationals to fish within Philippine waters.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has reiterated Beijing’s false claim that Julian Felipe Reef (international name: Whitsun Reef) is part of China territory.

In just two days, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. went from saying the passage of China’s new coast guard law — which allows it to fire on foreign vessels in China-claimed maritime areas — was “none of our business,” to calling it a “verbal threat of war” to those who will violate it.

President Rodrigo Duterte contradicted his top diplomat when he affirmed the Philippines’ historic arbitral victory against China on the South China Sea dispute during his debut appearance at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) on Sept. 22.

There are unmistakable signs that Vietnam may have already reached the point of no return in its maritime dispute with China.

Will China have its cake and eat it too at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?

Several options are available to the government to assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea and fortify the arbitral tribunal’s 2016 ruling on the territorial dispute, but the Duterte administration has chosen to not do anything because it doesn’t want to displease China, retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio said in an online forum.

In its running territorial tiff with China over the Natuna islands, Indonesia had just lobbed a diplomatic bombshell.