DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 July 2026) – Fourteen countries on Saturday issued a joint statement rejecting China’s “expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea,” including those based on “historic rights.”
The statement, released on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal recognizing the Philippines’ maritime entitlements and claims, said it reaffirmed that China’s claims have no legal basis.
“We underscore the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as other internationally lawful uses of the sea, as reflected in UNCLOS,” it said.
Aside from the Philippines, the statement was signed by the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. It was released to the media by the US Embassy in Manila.
The signatory countries said they reaffirm their “our unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, and rules-based, anchored in international law, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016, Arbitral Tribunal’s landmark and unanimous decision on the South China Sea constituted under Annex VII of UNCLOS.”
They added that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with UNCLOS.
They described the award rendered ten years ago as a significant milestone, final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines with respect to the maritime entitlements and claims addressed by the Arbitral Tribunal.
The statement conveyed the signatories’ “strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region” as well as the use of coast guard, military, and maritime militia forces “to harass, obstruct, or intimidate lawful operations by other States at sea or in the air, and in so doing endanger the safety of personnel and fishermen and seriously degrade regional peace and security.”
The Arbitral Tribunal award has not stopped China from building up its military presence and asserting sovereignty in islets and other features within the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese Coast Guard has repeatedly prevented Filipino fishermen from fishing in these areas and harassed Philippine Coast Guard vessels doing patrols and resupply missions to military personnel stationed there.
The previous administration was lukewarm to the Arbitral Tribunal award, with then-President Rodrigo Duterte calling it “just a piece of paper” and saying he will “throw it away.”
Duterte’s foreign policy pandered heavily towards building closer relations with Beijing and he even expressed his desire to terminate the Enhanced Defense Cooperative Agreement (EDCA) entered into by the Aquino III administration in 2014.
However, his successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., revitalized the Philippines’ military ties with the US. In fact, in February 2023, Washington and Manila announced their plan for a full implementation of EDCA.
The Philippines has been seeking to strengthen defense ties with Japan, which also has a territorial dispute with China over Senkaku Islands located off Taiwan’s eastern coast.
China has been asserting “sovereignty” over most of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, through its “10-dash line.” (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
