‘David vs. Goliath’ in South China Sea: Beijing must take us seriously, say ex-Philippine officials seeking ICC probe into Xi Jinping

Albert del Rosario and Conchita Carpio-Morales say their aim is to improve the lives of Filipino fishermen

Beijing says the situation in the South China Sea is stable and the move won’t harm its positive relations with Manila

Reading Time:3 minutes

Former Philippines officials Albert del Rosario and Conchita Carpio-Morales. Photo: AP

Published: 11:37pm, 22 Mar 2019Updated: 3:20pm, 13 Dec 2019

The two former Philippines officials asking the International Criminal Court to investigate Chinese President Xi Jinping for his “crimes against humanity” in the South China Sea say their aim is to improve the lives of Filipino fishermen and Beijing should take their move seriously.

Former Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and former ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed the complaint last week before Manila’s withdrawal from the ICC took effect.

In a press conference on Friday night, Rosales said: “I think if I were China I would take this seriously because this is not our first encounter with them. It’s our second encounter and we are very serious about winning this encounter as well.”

He was referring to the Philippines legal challenge against Beijing’s territorial claims at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2013. The court ruled in Manila’s favour in 2016.

China and the Philippines are among the countries that have overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Beijing has stepped up its military deployment there in recent years, leading to close encounters between Chinese and US naval vessels.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x