China criticizes Philippines over South China Sea arbitration

He insisted that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has no jurisdiction over the case, and that China will not accept any solutions presented by a “third party”.

The US has raised its military aid to the Philippines this year to $79mn, the US ambassador said yesterday, as tension rises in the region over China’s new assertiveness in the South China Sea.

“Its essence is not to resolve the dispute, but rather an attempt to negate China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea”, he told reporters, adding that it would “not have any effect”.

Counsel Andrew Loewenstein argued that China’s claim is “hopeless and indefensible” as none of the three conditions to establish historic rights are present in China’s case, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement.

Other countries involved in the dispute, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, are said to be watching the proceedings closely to determine whether to file claims of their own.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Philippine Navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines’ claimed exclusive economic zone.

Manila’s move angered Beijing, which set about building artificial islands on reefs in the Spratly archipelago, a group of about 100 islets, atolls and reefs in the middle of the South China Sea, to present the United Nations court with a fait accompli.

Its massive and fast-paced land reclamation work and island-building in the South China Sea have rattled the smaller Asian claimants and heightened regional tensions.

According to Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has done an extensive study on the dispute, the Philippines will lose 80 percent of its EEZ, including Recto Bank (Reed Bank) and part of the Malampaya gas field of Palawan province, if China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea are allowed to stand.

“They expressed their strong opposition to any coercive or unilateral actions that could alter the status quo in the East China Sea”, the Joint Communique read.

“The Philippines remains committed to pursuing arbitration to its final conclusion, and will abide by its decisions”.

He maintained that the West Philippine Sea issue can not be resolved bilaterally, explaining that “sovereignty is a non-negotiable matter”.

However, their main argument remained: that China’s claim of “historic rights” over disputed areas has no basis.

Manila hopes that a ruling in its favor from the court, which was established in 1899, could put pressure on Beijing to rein in its territorial ambitions.

The Philippine delegation to The Hague, headed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, is composed of representatives from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.