Philippines, 13 other nations: Arbitral ruling final, legally binding
The Philippines and 13 other nations have issued a joint statement reaffirming the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. The coalition emphasized the importance of international law, freedom of navigation, and peaceful dispute resolution.
Why it matters
This collective diplomatic stance highlights ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific and the global effort to uphold maritime international law.
MANILA, Philippines - On the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award yesterday, the Philippines, along with 13 other countries, reaffirmed the historic ruling, describing it as "final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines."
In a joint statement, the governments of Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, United Kingdom and the United States backed the Philippines over the landmark unanimous decision on the South China Sea constituted under Annex 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
"We reaffirm the Arbitral Tribunal's decision that there is no legal basis for China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, including those based on 'historic rights,'" the statement read.
The countries underscored the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight as well as other internationally lawful uses of the sea, as reflected in UNCLOS.
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