In Philippines, support mounts for South China Sea ‘crimes against humanity’ case against Xi Jinping

More than 25,000 people have signed a statement of support for former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, who want the International Criminal Court to examine whether China has carried out ‘crimes against humanity’

They say the country’s artificial island building has caused extensive environmental damage and has blocked 320,000 Filipinos from their fishing grounds

But China’s envoy says Beijing has no plans to respond to the complaint, which will not “stop the development of bilateral relations”

Reading Time:4 minutes

A US navy ship anchored off Manila Bay, Philippines. Photo: AP

Published: 8:28pm, 26 Mar 2019Updated: 11:22am, 26 Nov 2025

Public support is mounting behind two former Philippine officials who filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing Chinese President Xi Jinping of “crimes against humanity” for his country’s actions in the South China Sea.

A “Statement of Support” for former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales had gained more than 25,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon, despite the presidential palace having dismissed the action as “futile”. The boost for the former officials came even as China’s envoy in the Philippines said Beijing had no plans to respond to the complaint, which would “not stop the development of bilateral ties”.

The Philippine former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. Photo: AP

The pair claim China’s artificial island building in the South China Sea has caused extensive environmental damage and has blocked large numbers of fishermen, including about 320,000 Filipinos, from their fishing grounds. They say the impact on the Filipino fishermen constitutes a “crime against humanity” under the Rome Statute.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Reuters

The complaint was filed last week, just days before Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew his country from the ICC, and it is unclear what effect even a sympathetic ruling would have on either Manila or Beijing. In 2016, Beijing ignored the Permanent Court of Arbitration when it sided with the Philippines in another case brought by del Rosario, ruling that China had “no historical rights” to the territory within its “nine-dash line” that it uses to claim sovereignty over the vast majority of the sea.