Philippines files UN case challenging China's claims in South China Sea
Manila presses case before arbitration tribunal challenging China over resource-rich waters in South China Sea, but Beijing will not take part
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario yesterday announced the filing of the plea before the UN arbitration tribunal despite Chinese warnings of a fallout in bilateral relations. This comes days after President Xi Jinping compared China to an "awakened lion". Xi's use of the lion metaphor in a speech in Paris to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with France was seen by analysts as a desire for more assertive foreign policy.
Del Rosario said Manila had asked the UN tribunal to declare China's claims over the strategic and resource-rich waters as a violation of international law. "It is about defending what is legitimately ours. It is about securing our children's future. It is about guaranteeing freedom of navigation for all nations," he said.
China's claims over the South China Sea, believed to harbour vast oil and gas reserves, overlap those of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
It is about defending what is legitimately ours. It is about securing our children's future
The Philippines announced last year that it would ask the UN to declare China's claims illegal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The filing beats a March 30 deadline set by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.