China will be the “loser” if it does not recognize an international court’s ruling against its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay said yesterday.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague infuriated China last month when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights.
China has ignored the ruling that none of its claims in the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) entitled it to a 200 nautical mile (370.4km) exclusive economic zone. Its construction work on reefs there has alarmed other claimants, including Taiwan.
“We are trying to make China understand especially when the dust settles that unless they respect and recognize the arbitral tribunal, they will be the losers at the end of that day on this matter,” Yasay told a Philippine congressional hearing.
Prior to starting bilateral talks, the Philippines plans to seal a deal for China to allow Filipino fishermen to access the resource-rich waters, Yasay said.
China seized Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access, one of the factors that prompted Manila to seek arbitration.
“When we start formal negotiations or bilateral engagements with China, we will have to do it within the context of the arbitral decision. There are no buts or ifs insofar as our policy on this matter is concerned,” Yasay said.
In related news, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang yesterday said there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments there were threatening regional security.
The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China’s actions.
“The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world,” Quang said. “Recent worrying developments” there “have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight.”
“Should we allow instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose,” he said.
The Vietnamese leader was speaking to diplomats, academics and students at a forum organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies’ Yusof Ishak Institute.
Taiwan and four Southeast Asian states — Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam — have competing claims in the sea.
Vietnam has been among the most vocal critics of China’s blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in Vietnam.
The sea row has also driven a wedge between members of ASEAN, which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing’s actions.
Additional reporting by AFP
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