South China Sea Forum

[Malaya]

You were looking at inside of your pants and those of the japanese shown on dvds

We are in control of 黄岩岛 Huangyan Dao and maintaining routine petrol of Diaoyu Islands!

Well Japan will not give up its claim to this island. They are occupying it and ready for war in case other countries force them to do so. China will be gauge in this area and Japan is ready to confront you in this situation.

 

[Malaya]

Here we go again, China's plan of domination.

Be a responsible member of the international community. If you only strictly follow the law of the sea set by UNCLOS, everything will be in order. The problem is your greed it's getting bigger and bigger just like your population.

China is too much afraid to lose its legal battle in UNCLOS on its imaginary and unsubstantiated nine-idiot line claim because it will lose face and more importantly lose its claims on the rich resource of West Philippine Sea. They should take history lessons of its false idiot-line claim. It’s groundless from historical and legal perspectives.

Chinese face alway thick like this.
On one side they said those Islands and Sea were their "core interests" and non-controversy, but on other side, they said "hey, We can share you something and co-operations in somewhere, just recognition those thing which we claim belong to us, and we have all right on those, OK!" ...

The Chinese double talk simply makes it more obvious.

 

[Malaya]

European Parliament adopts resolution supporting PHL arbitration on the WPS issue




European parliament backs arbitration
By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 24, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - The European parliament adopted a resolution on March 14 approving a report that included its support for the Philippines’ arbitration initiative, under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in clarifying the country’s maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday.

In the report, a paragraph on the West Philippine Sea stated that the parliament “underlines the global importance of the South China Sea through which one third of the world’s trade passes; is alarmed at the escalating tension and therefore urgently appeals to all parties involved to refrain from unilateral political and military actions, to tone down statements and to settle their conflicting territorial claims in the South China Seas by means of international arbitration in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in order to ensure regional stability.”

The report, prepared by the parliament’s committee on foreign affairs on European Union-China relations, likewise called on China to “commit itself to observing the UN Charter and international law in pursuit of its goals abroad.”

“The European parliament’s resolution is a milestone in the efforts of our country to generate awareness and support for our arbitration efforts,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

“The recourse to arbitration is firmly rooted in the tradition of good global citizenship. We are strongly committed to seeing this arbitration through and there should be no doubts about our resolve to clarify our maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” he stressed.

The European parliament represents the largest transnational democratic electorate in the world, with some 375 million eligible voters in 2009.

A United States Senate resolution on the peaceful settlement of disputes in the West Philippine Sea was unanimously passed in 2012.

European parliament backs arbitration | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

 

[Malaya]

Peaceful solution to sea row: Phl no longer lone wolf
By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 25, 2013

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — The Philippines is no longer a lone wolf in pushing for a peaceful resolution of regional maritime disputes, with the international community – and not just the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – recognizing the issue’s importance.

President Aquino arrived here yesterday for the ASEAN summit where he is expected to continue pushing for a code of conduct in the South China Sea.

The Philippines wants ASEAN to be united in pressing for a code of conduct as it deals with China, which claims virtually the entire South China Sea.

“The Philippines has championed several causes in ASEAN and of course it is not a secret to all of you that in the beginning we seem to be lone wolves,” Philippine Permanent Representative to the ASEAN Ambassador Elizabeth Buensuceso said in an interview here Tuesday.

“Now, everyone is upholding what we call the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea—it’s a very popular topic nowadays. Who championed that? The Philippines - we championed the cause of the rule of law in settling international disputes,” she said.

Buensuceso said the Philippines persevered not only in championing peaceful resolution of disputes but also in protecting migrant workers’ human rights, and ensuring a drugs-free ASEAN among other issues.

“There are many areas in the ASEAN cooperation wherein the voice of the Philippines prevailed although sometimes it looks like we’re the only ones talking,” she said.

During the meetings of senior officials and foreign ministers here prior to the leaders’ summit, a statement issued “contains the very elements that the Philippines has been fighting for,” Buensuceso said.

“We have already the elements that have been agreed upon by the ASEAN Ministers,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

These are the six-point principles that include the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (COC) in the West Philippine Sea, Guidelines for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties, early conclusion of a regional COC, full respect for the universally recognized principles of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), continued exercise of self-restraint and non-use of force by all parties, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law including the UNCLOS.

China does not want to internationalize the issue and even rejected the Philippines’ move for a UN arbitration to settle the dispute.

China wanted to deal with the conflict bilaterally with the other claimants such as Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

In Cambodia last year, the ASEAN summit became controversial as Phnom Penh was accused of siding with China and sabotaging the joint statements of the bloc.

“The six principles have been agreed upon and the elements of a code of conduct have been agreed upon by all ASEAN (members). They agreed that these should be the content of a code of conduct,” Buensuceso said.

She said the Philippines is optimistic that the leaders would come up with a constructive statement, especially on maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Even with the achievements and headways, Buensuceso said, “we’re not going to rest on our laurels.”

“In this summit we will urge the ASEAN-member countries to be forward-looking. What now after the so-called blueprint (that) will end in 2015 is accomplished? What is the future of ASEAN? How will ASEAN play a role in the international community? So the future of ASEAN is one—the other challenge also is how to make ASEAN the driver of movements in this region,” she said.

According to Buensuceso, ASEAN wants to be unanimous in tackling issues, and to become a single market by integrating economically.

She said the “clout” of the ASEAN could no longer be denied in the international community with countries falling in line to deal with it now. –Pia Lee-Brago

Peaceful solution to sea row: Phl no longer lone wolf | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

 

[Malaya]

ASEAN talks 'in right direction'
BY RAPPLER.COM
04/25/2013

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION. President Benigno Aquino III makes a fresh push for a code of conduct for the South China Sea at the 22nd ASEAN Summit.

MANILA, Philippines - The first day of the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan delved right into the most contentious issue facing the region -- the creation of a Code of Code for the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

President Benigno Aquino III said this is "a step in the right direction" towards adopting a legally-binding code of conduct for the South China Sea to prevent conflict over the territory.

So far, the talks are "sober and calm" and Aquino is optimistic that the time would be ripe for the code of conduct.

"There might be a consensus that is reached that really pushes the matter forward to really define everybody’s entitlements and obligations. So, instead of being put on a very low priority, it has been put on, in effect -- we're not saying in a dominant position—but it is one of the priority areas and nobody has objected, and everybody was listening and discussing it. So that, I think, is a step in the right direction," he said.

This is a far cry from last year when the ASEAN -- for the first time in history -- failed to issue a joint communique due to resistance from the chair, Cambodia -- a known ally of China -- over the South China Sea issue.

This year, Aquino said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has so far not intervened in the talks but there will be further sessions Thursday.

The current chair, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, earlier said one of his priorities during his term would be to see a code of conduct agreed between ASEAN and China.

"It's really great that it the first night we're here, the very first meeting and it's already been included in the topics. So, we should really be thankful that the whole of the ASEAN is willing to discuss this instead of, you know, putting it on the backburner. That, I think, is already a help," Aquino said.

"After 10 years, where are we? It's not even just 10 years, this is already the 11th year (that a code of conduct is being pursued), but where are we? Now, more or less at the early part of the year we're already discussing it," he added.

Even if the ASEAN finally arrives at a consensus on the code of conduct, Aquino reiterated that the Philippines will continue to pursue its case against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to further resolve the issue through legal means.

"Our goal is to be clarified. We don't want to heat up the situation. If I say something, they need to answer. So this is a process, let's use all avenues open for all of us to finally come up with something that is definitive: what are your entitlements, what are your obligations," he said.

"And then have that—have a permanence of... with clarity because that's how you determine how you behave with each other, as opposed to differing interpretations of what constitutes correct behavior," he added.

The two-day summit ends Thursday, April 25. - Rappler.com

ASEAN talks 'in right direction'

 

[Fsjal]

ASEAN leaders stress peace in South China Sea - China.org.cn

Southeast Asian leaders on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability and maritime security in the South China Sea and the collective commitments under the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

"We reaffirmed the collective commitments under the DOC to ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, without resorting to the threat or use of force, while exercising self- restraint in the conduct of activities," said an official statement.

The leaders also looked forward to continued engagement with China in implementing the DOC in a "full and effective manner," including through mutually agreed joint cooperative activities and projects, said the Chairman's Statement of the 22nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held here on April 24-25.

The ASEAN leaders have tasked their ministers "to continue to work actively with China on the way forward for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea on the basis of consensus," the statement added.
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In Brunei, a Softer Tone on China - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ

Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Brunei for an annual summit are toning down their rhetoric on regional differences over China’s incursions in the South China Sea that in the past have soured these kinds of meetings.

The goal, officials here say, is to avoid a breakdown like the one last summer at which Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers failed to issue a closing statement — a rare event for ASEAN — because of differences over how aggressive a tone to take on the South China Sea.

In order to keep emotions from rising too high, Brunei, which holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN this year, had a clear strategy: let countries with territorial claims to the sea, like the Philippines and Vietnam, air their feelings early, and make it clear that the dispute is on the agenda and will be addressed in the formal communique.

That is in contrast with the approach taken by the 2012 ASEAN chair Cambodia, which started out insisting that South China Sea issues were outside of the scope of the ASEAN agenda. That was met by demands from the Philippines that ASEAN take China to task by mentioning specific incidents where it was accused of overstepping its bounds in disputed territory.

This time, Brunei aims to steer clear of deadlines or any confrontational language that might ruffle China’s allies in the regional bloc, like Cambodia and Thailand. So far, ASEAN officials seem to be sticking to the script, calling for progress toward a binding code of conduct that would govern activities in disputed territories by China and Southeast Asian rival claimants.

Officials said ASEAN leaders discussed South China Sea issues at a working dinner Wednesday and again Thursday morning as the formal leaders’ meetings opened.

“It’s a good thing that at the first meeting the issue has already become part of the topic. So we should really be thankful that the whole of the ASEAN is willing to discuss this instead of putting it on the backburner,” Philippine President Benigno Aquino said in a briefing with reporters late Wednesday evening.

Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand’s permanent secretary for foreign affairs, said the focus for this ASEAN summit is smoothing over disagreements so parties can move forward on a binding code of conduct, without setting a firm timeline for that to happen.

“The overlapping claims have been there for a long time, and I think what we need to do is de-escalate the tensions,” he said in an interview.

In a related development, the U.N. tribunal on the Law of the Sea that is hearing the Philippines arbitration claim against China with regard to its territorial claims in the South China Sea has finished appointing all five members of the arbitration panel, Philippine foreign affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario told The Wall Street Journal.
------------
I just hope Brunei don't take sides. I want them to be neutral and unbiased

 

[Viet]

A new toy soon to be spotted in the SCS：
..

The company has completed design of the CYG-40 which can carry 40 passengers and 4 tons of cargoes。
The CYG-100、CYG-150 and CYG-200 are also under development。

???????????????????

no toy, but reality:

 

[Fsjal]

^Hey! no war here^

Anyway, those vehicles look garbage. A single ZBD-2000 Amphibious Tank could wipe 'em out

 

[Soryu]

no toy, but reality:

I want to mention with you, Viet brother, "don't reply to troll dog" (you know what I mean, I think!)

 

[Malaya]

Vietnam denounces China over map, oceanic development plan
April 25

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned China for releasing a map and announcing its so-called 12th Five-Year-Plan of National Oceanic Development, in which it claims sovereignty over Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Paracel) and Hoang Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said Wednesday the map and the plan are totally valueless.

“Vietnam affirms its indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, sovereignty and jurisdiction rights over the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the East Sea as is laid out in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Nghi said.

He told the press the release of the map and the announcement of the plan seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty.

He added that such actions breach international law and an agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China, and are not in line with the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

Such actions raise tensions and complicate the situation in the East Sea, he said.
Arduous agreement

Southeast Asian leaders are set to wrap up a summit on Thursday dominated by efforts to defuse tensions over the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, AFP reported.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) endured deep divisions last year over how to handle rows with China over the sea, and leaders have been focused at this week's talks in Brunei on rebuilding unity, the newswire said.

China and four ASEAN members including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all claim territory in the East Sea.

China’s claim is the largest, covering most of the sea’s 648,000 square miles (1.7 million square km), a move that has been emphatically rejected by international scholars.

The area is thought to hold vast untapped reserves of oil and natural gas that could potentially place China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimant nations alongside the likes of Saudi Arabia, Russia and Qatar.

A slew of squabbles between China and ASEAN claimants in the disputed East Sea have prompted protracted negotiations on a formal code of conduct aimed at easing tensions in the waters.

In 2002 the parties involved issued the political Declaration of Conduct (DOC) and China finally agreed in July 2011 to guidelines for its implementation, saying it was open to “different formulas and initiatives.

China has proposed that ASEAN and Beijing hold a special meeting to hasten progress on the code of conduct

But analysts said a legally binding robust code of conduct (CoC) is just off the Chinese radar of interest.

"Information regarding the proposed talks between ASEAN and China on a CoC is vague, including dates. I do not expect a major breakthrough on this issue any time soon," said Ian Storey, a maritime expert with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said Wednesday he was nevertheless happy ASEAN was now at least united in trying to ensure the disputes did not "become bloody", AFP reported.

"So there is unity of purpose and one can always be hopeful that that will lead to something more concrete," he was quoted by the newswire as saying.

Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | Vietnam denounces China over map, oceanic development plan





PH, Vietnam see eye to eye on sea disputes
By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 04/25/2013

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI—President Aquino met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Vietnam expressed support for the Philippine position on the maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Both the Philippines and Vietnam are both locked in a territorial dispute with China over portions of the South China Sea.

Lacierda said the two leaders also tackled economic cooperation between the two countries.

“Both leaders happy with the progress of economic relations and discussed ways on how to further enhance. Both countries acknowledged the improvement of maritime security between the two countries and Vietnam expressed support for the Philippines international initiatives on this matter,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a text message.

The bilateral meeting happened despite an earlier pronouncement of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs that Aquino would have no bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the summit.

PH, Vietnam see eye to eye on sea disputes | ABS-CBN News

 

[Malaya]

China rejects international arbitration over South China Sea
Beijing, April 26, 2013

China on Friday rejected the Philippines' move for international arbitration by a UN body over islands in the South China Sea claimed by both the countries.

The Philippines had applied for arbitration by the international tribunal on the Law of the Sea, which has now set up a committee to hear the case.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China rejected this process and its attitude on the issue will not change.

She said China preferred the issue to be settle bilaterally though negotiations.

The Philippines had in January asking a UN tribunal to order a halt to Beijing's activities that it said violated Philippine sovereignty over the islands, surrounded by potentially energy-rich waters.

The Philippines calls the islets as Spartleys while China calls them as Nansha.

Besides establishing its administrative control over these areas, China in recent months also pressed its naval and surveillance vessels to aggressively patrol the South China Sea areas.

China claims most of South China Sea as its own.

The claim is contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei besides Taiwan.

China rejects international arbitration over South China Sea - Hindustan Times




ITLOS completes five-man tribunal that will hear PHL case vs. China
MICHAELA DEL CALLARApril 25, 2013

The Philippines’ case against China took another step forward after a United Nations arbitration body named the last three judges in the five-man tribunal that will hear Manila’s complaint over what it calls Beijing’s “excessive” claim to the South China Sea.

“We are hoping that this case that we filed with the tribunal will proceed as soon as possible,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing Thursday.

International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) President Shunji Yanai on April 24 transmitted a letter to Philippine Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, head of the Philippine legal team on the arbitration case, informing Manila of the appointment of Mr. Jean-Pierre Cot (France), Mr. Chris Pinto (Sri Lanka), and Mr. Alfred Soons (The Netherlands.)

Yanai earlier appointed Mr. Stanislaw Pawlak (Poland) as the second member of the tribunal who will represent China in the proceedings. The Philippines, on the other hand, nominated Mr. Rudiger Wolfrum (Germany) to the tribunal.

Illegal

Manila took a bold step when it initiated an arbitration process under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on January 21 to try to declare as “illegal” China’s nine-dash claim, which covers nearly the entire resource-rich waters, where some parts are called West Philippine Sea by the Philippines.

China has resisted the Philippines’ move to let a U.N. body intervene in the disputes, saying the case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations.

China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia have overlapping claims on the islands, shoals and reefs in the South China Sea, where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas.

Hernandez said the five-member arbitral tribunal will first determine if they have jurisdiction over the Philippine case before an actual hearing takes place.

The Philippine government, he said, is “very confident” that the case will be taken up by the tribunal and that the country will be awarded its maritime entitlements in the South China Sea.

“The nine-dash claim of China has no validity as far as the international law, particularly the UNCLOS, is concerned” Hernandez said.

UNCLOS

UNCLOS is a 1982 accord by 163 countries that aims to govern the use of offshore areas and sets territorial limits of coastal states. It also allows member-states to seek legal remedy on territorial disputes through mediation.

The Philippines and China are both signatories to the treaty.

Manila insisted that arbitration is “a peaceful and durable form of dispute settlement pursuant to international law.”

China, which frowns upon efforts to involve a third party in the disputes, prefers to negotiate one on one with other claimants which would give it advantage because of its sheer size compared to rival claimants which are smaller and have less military force. — KBK, GMA News

ITLOS completes five-man tribunal that will hear PHL case vs. China | News | GMA News Online

 

[Malaya]

Asean tells China: It’s time to talk
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 27th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines—In agreeing to engage China in negotiations for a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is sending a clear message to Beijing: It’s time to view the territorial disputes in the sea as a regional problem and they must be solved through regional, not bilateral, action.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario took time out from his work on to explain to journalists the ramifications of Thursday’s Asean agreement in Brunei to unite and talk to China about crafting a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea that would prevent the conflicting territorial claims in the region from erupting in armed confrontations.

Speaking at a briefing for reporters in Malacañang, Del Rosario said that this time, Asean is determined to compel China to sit down with the bloc’s 10 members and negotiate a code of conduct with them.

Asean priority

He said Brunei, this year’s Asean chair, made the talks with China on the code a priority for the bloc.

“I think Asean is fully ready to do this. I think the next step belongs to China,” Del Rosario said.

He said Asean had worked out the “fundamental elements” of a code of conduct “a long time ago” but China refused to engage, saying “the time was not right.”

China refuses to discuss its territorial disputes with its Southeast Asian neighbors in any international forum. It prefers to discuss the disputes through bilateral talks with the other claimants.

Asean members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan, claim parts of the West Philippine Sea, almost all of which China insists is its territory.

Asean efforts to craft a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea all but collapsed last year at a summit chaired by Cambodia, a close economic ally of China, when the group failed to agree on how to approach the issue with China.

Solid stand

But in Brunei on Wednesday and Thursday, Asean presented a “solid” stand to pursue the effort, Del Rosario said.

The 10 members of the association resolved to effectively enforce the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea between Asean and China, and to expedite the conclusion of a code of conduct in the sea with China, Del Rosario said.

He said President Aquino took a central role in the discussion of the code during the two-day summit in Brunei.

UN arbitration

“He talked at length about arbitration, about its importance, about the fact that it’s an open, friendly and durable solution to the disputes in the West Philippine Sea,” Del Rosario said, referring to the Philippines’ arbitration case against China in the United Nations (UN).

“He also talked about the benefits to all countries, starting with China. He emphasized that it clarifies the maritime entitlements of China, especially to its own constituents, in terms of what its expectations should be in accordance with international law,” he said.

“It’s good for the Philippines because it will define what is ours,” he said, referring to a UN clarification of the Philippines’ rights in its 22-kilometer exclusive economic zone provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.


Asean tells China: It’s time to talk

 

[Malaya]

PH won’t give up claims to South China Sea territories
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 27th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines—The Aquino administration turned the tables on Beijing on Saturday, accusing the Chinese government of occupying a piece of Philippine territory in the South China Sea.

A Palace spokesperson made it clear that Manila was not about to surrender areas in the South China Sea it claims to be part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and refers to as the West Philippine Sea, a day after China claimed that the Philippines was trying to legalize its occupation of islands in the disputed area by going to the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or ITLOS.

“What’s our position when it comes to Bajo de Masinloc? That’s ours. And we will continue to exercise sovereignty over our territory,” said Palace spokeswoman Abigail Valte Valte in a radio interview.

Valte reminded China that the Aquino administration had already filed the case in the ITLOS, “and we are waiting for developments on that.”

When asked by phone if the Philippine government was still hoping that China would change its mind and accede to an arbitration process by a third party, Valte said, “It is the position of the Philippine government that taking the case before the arbitral tribunal is well within the framework we have chosen to adopt, which is a rules-based approach.”

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, for his part, accused Beijing of occupying Bajo de Masinloc, one of the other names for the Scarbourough Shoal, an outcropping of rocks in a shallow section of the West Philippine Sea.

“The Chinese have tried to establish a de facto occupation of Bajo de Masinloc. When we last checked, I think they had two maritime surveillance vessels there, and then they had a fisheries law enforcement boat. So they have three vessels there,” he said in a briefing at the Palace Friday.

He said this prompted the government to avail itself of the option of seeking international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“That train has left the station, and we are trying to proceed with that. We believe that that will yield the results that we’re after in terms of providing a durable solution. Any solution that we would have come up with, short of a solution that is derived from the [UNCLOS], I think, at best, would be a transactional solution, and not a durable one,” said Del Rosario.

He said the UN arbitral tribunal might begin deliberations on the merits of the Philippine case by July, and that the deliberations would proceed even without the participation of China.

Del Rosario said the tribunal’s decision would be “final and unappealable.”

Del Rosario did not make it a secret that the government of President Aquino was counting on Vietnam and the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for support in the country’s decision to seek international arbitration.

“And we also are looking at the solidity and the very good working arrangements that we have in terms of our cooperation on maritime security. We are trying to see how that can be improved,” he said, referring to warming bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam, which has its own territorial dispute with China over the Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

“We’re happy about our cooperation, as I said, on the South China Sea. We received the compliments of Vietnam… their agreement [with our decision] in terms of what we’re trying to do, the processes that we’ve adopted. And they’re fully on board in terms of cooperating with us. We agreed on how well we are doing in terms of other regional cooperation, and essentially that was it,” said Del Rosario.

During his two-day attendance at the 22nd Asean summit in Brunei early this week, President Aquino held bilateral talks with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Both leaders were upbeat over “the progress of economic relations” between the two countries as they agreed to “further enhance” and strengthen relations, said the Palace.

Told that Filipino fishermen were now barred from entering Bajo de Masinloc by Chinese authorities, he said: “We have to take a position that we need to move in concert with what our legal advisers are able to provide us in terms of guidance. And right now, they believe that we should give priority to the arbitration case.”





ITLOS to decide jurisdiction over Phl-China dispute
(philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday said the refusal of China to participate in the arbitration case regarding the territorial disputes in the South China Sea would not stop the proceedings.

Del Rosario also said the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have finally agreed to press China for the formulation of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea.

In a briefing in Malacañang on Friday, Del Rosario said that during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit held in Brunei earlier this week, meetings have been planned to "manifest solidarity" among ASEAN members to press for a Code of Conduct.

"I had the impression, good and positive impression, there's solidarity in terms of readiness to convince China that we should move (forward) with the Code of Conduct," Del Rosario said about the just-concluded meeting.

In 2012, ASEAN failed to issue a common statement regarding China's activities in the South China Sea. Cambodia, an ally of China, chaired the ASEAN Summit last year

He said two meetings, one in China, would be scheduled to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, following the completion of five arbitrators to hear the Philippines' case against China, the DFA chief said the tribunal will first determine if it can hear the case or not.

"We also expect very soon the arbitration tribunal to ascertain whether they have jurisdiction [over the case] by July. By July, this will have been determined," Del Rosario added.

He also said he is confident that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will rule that the case is within its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Del Rosario said Sabah was not taken up during the ASEAN meeting because it was not in the meeting's agenda.

He said the Philippines and Malaysia will discuss the issue on a bilateral basis as is custom among ASEAN member states.

"Historically, if there are rather disputes between member states, we discuss first on a bilateral basis and we selected that route," Del Rosario said.

ITLOS to decide jurisdiction over Phl-China dispute | Nation, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

 

[Viet]

Yeaaaah, Vietnam supports Philippines´s stance in the dispute with China.

 

[USAHawk785]

Good Job, ASEAN ! Good Job, Philippines !