Banners declaring Philippines a ‘province of China’ appear in Manila on second anniversary of Hague arbitration result
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled two years ago China had no title over the waters of the South China Sea and had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights by blocking its fishermen and building artificial islands
Banners calling the Philippines a “province of China” mysteriously appeared on bridges in Manila on Thursday, sparking fury on social media on what was the second anniversary of Manila’s victory over Beijing in a landmark arbitration case.
The terms “province of China” and “South China Sea” trended prominently on Twitter, while news reports of the sudden appearance of the red tarpaulin banners along key thoroughfares generated thousands of shares and comments on Facebook.
No group claimed responsibility for the banners, which feature English and Chinese characters and a Chinese flag flanked by dragons. City authorities were seen removing some of them, which were spotted in at least five locations.
Emojis denoting anger or surprise dominated comments on social media next to pictures of the signs, which say “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China”.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled two years ago that China had no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights by blocking its fishermen and building artificial islands in its exclusive economic zone.