Manila: Nine years ago, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention unanimously ruled that China’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims have no basis in international law. This decision, legally binding on both the Philippines and China, marked a significant milestone and presented a framework for peacefully resolving disputes in the South China Sea.
According to EMM, since the 2016 ruling, China has ignored the decision, continuing to assert unlawful and expansive maritime claims, and taking increasingly aggressive actions against its neighbors. Beijing's expansive claims directly infringe on the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, undermining peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
The United States has expressed its support for a free and open Indo-Pacific. It seeks to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, maintain the free flow of trade, and oppose coercion in settling maritime disputes. The United States calls on China to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling and to cease its dangerous and destabilizing conduct.