Duterte ‘not abandoning’ court victory against Beijing over South China Sea areas, says spokesman
Philippine president waiting for ‘proper time’ to address disputed areas claimed by Beijing in his country’s exclusive economic zone
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xhan Phuc on Friday he is not abandoning Manila’s 2016 arbitral award against China over features in the South China Sea, his official spokesman said.
According to Harry Roque, Duterte assured Phuc during a bilateral meeting in Singapore ahead of their participation in a regional summit this weekend that the International Court of Arbitration’s decision “will be addressed at the proper time”.
“He made it very clear to a head of state that he recognises the gains of the arbitral award and that he will refer to the arbitral award in due course,” Roque said in a news briefing. “He wants the totality of the West Philippine Sea controversy settled under the rule of law and pursuant to the binding norms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The Philippines calls portions of the South China Sea which it claims the West Philippine Sea.
The Hague-based court ruled in July 2016 that China’s claims have no legal basis and that it violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. China continues to reject the arbitration award.