PH Takes China to UN on Sea Row
The Philippines filed a case Tuesday against China before a United Nations tribunal, saying it had exhausted “almost all political and diplomatic avenues” to settle a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said he summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing to advise her about Manila’s decision and to hand her a diplomatic note containing the country’s challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims.
The note also urged China to desist from violating the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
“This afternoon, the Philippines has taken the step of bringing China before an arbitral tribunal under… the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) in order to achieve a peaceful and durable solution to the dispute over the West Philippine Sea,” Del Rosario said in a press briefing after his meeting with Ma. Del Rosario said that since 1995, the Philippines has exhausted almost “all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China.”
“On numerous occasions, dating back to 1995, the Philippines has been exchanging views with China to peacefully settle these disputes. [However, up until] this day, a solution is still elusive,” he said.
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