(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday welcomed the US State Department study that found China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea as “unlawful” and “inconsistent” with international law.
In a statement, the DFA said the study is consistent with the vision statement issued by the Philippines and the US on Nov. 16, 2021, “which states that the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with the international law of the sea as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
The DFA said the study was also consistent “with the unanimous July 12, 2016 Award in the South China Sea Arbitration (Republic of Philippines v. People’s Republic of China), a decision that, pursuant to the Convention, is legally binding on the Philippines and the PRC.”
The 47-page research paper titled “Limits in the Seas,” prepared by the US State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, said that Beijing has no basis under international law for its maritime claims in the region.
“The overall effect of these maritime claims is that the PRC unlawfully claims sovereignty or some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea,” read the executive summary of the report… Read More