The Philippines’ provocative president, Rodrigo Duterte, was courting controversy again this week, asserting casually on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Singapore that China was already in possession of the entire South China Sea.
The contested waters are home to more than 250 land features, variously claimed and occupied by countries including China and the Philippines.
On Friday, Philippine Chief Justice Antonio Carpio corrected the record.
“Factually, China is not in possession of the South China Sea,” Carpio was quoted by ABS-CBN news as saying during a speech.
“About 25% of the South China Sea are high seas. Under UNCLOS, no state can possess or own the high seas, which belong to all mankind. Under UNCLOS, there is freedom of navigation and overflight in the high seas for all nations,” he said, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The territory that China does control accounts for “less than 8% of the total area of the South China Sea,” noted Carpio, who was one of the lawyers who represented Manila in the arbitration at The Hague challenging China’s South China Sea claims.
The back and forth between the two Philippine voices comes as member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are caught between the competing interests of the United States and China, a reality that Singaporean President Lee Hsien Loong articulated this week.
It is “very desirable” for the bloc of Southeast Asian nations to avoid picking sides, but it may be inevitable for countries to “have to choose one or the other,” he said.
Without the suspected oil and gas deposits these debates are useless. All conflicting claims are based on economic expectations not on soveiregn claims. These people have bloated egos but empty on what is the ultimate good for the country. Du30 has 100% motive for the good of all.
Without the suspected oil and gas deposits these debates are useless. All conflicting claims are based on economic expectations not on soveiregn claims. These people have bloated egos but empty on what is the ultimate good for the country. Du30 has 100% motive for the good of all.
it’s very clear how China bully their neighbors…and our president now is just a new speaker of xi jinping…he should be punish for betraying his own people.
it’s very clear how China bully their neighbors…and our president now is just a new speaker of xi jinping…he should be punish for betraying his own people.
China is thousand miles away from the artificial islands, how can that island be theirs…how can our fishermen ask permission to fish in our own territory…
China is thousand miles away from the artificial islands, how can that island be theirs…how can our fishermen ask permission to fish in our own territory…
been fed with US poison for decades. try another one
been fed with US poison for decades. try another one
Ali Baba: Did you see the consequence from the 100% control of the SCS by China? The consequence is twofold. One is, all the other countries bordering on the sea will have no sea. As soon as their citizens step into the sea they have entered Chinese territory. Their fishermen will have no place to make a living, and their naval ships will remain permanently inside their harbour. And any farther countries cannot enter the SCS either.
Two is, other maritime countries might follow China’s example and claim their adjacent sea as their territory. One example is the Hawaii Islands. The US might claim several thousand miles of waters around theose islands as American territorial waters. The Philippines can do the same since they have 7000 islands in the SCS and the Pacific Ocean; and they might claim both the SCS and the Pacific Ocean for thousands of miles as their territory. Etc etc.
Ali Baba: Did you see the consequence from the 100% control of the SCS by China? The consequence is twofold. One is, all the other countries bordering on the sea will have no sea. As soon as their citizens step into the sea they have entered Chinese territory. Their fishermen will have no place to make a living, and their naval ships will remain permanently inside their harbour. And any farther countries cannot enter the SCS either.
Two is, other maritime countries might follow China’s example and claim their adjacent sea as their territory. One example is the Hawaii Islands. The US might claim several thousand miles of waters around theose islands as American territorial waters. The Philippines can do the same since they have 7000 islands in the SCS and the Pacific Ocean; and they might claim both the SCS and the Pacific Ocean for thousands of miles as their territory. Etc etc.
Wood Wu You better do studies on UNCLOS. The EEZ is ‘exclusive economic zone.’ It only relates to the economic issues. It has nothing to do with the territories. UNCLOS gives a country the right for resources in the sea and in the subsoil under the sea (continental shelf). However, it does not give a country any rights to the land features above the sea levels. If rocks, reefs are above high tides, they will not be governed by UNCLOS. If you can claim lands based on UNCLOS, then ROC (Taiwan) can claim all the small islands between Taiwan and Philippines and claim the southern parts of the islands of Ryukyu Islands.
Wood Wu You better do studies on UNCLOS. The EEZ is ‘exclusive economic zone.’ It only relates to the economic issues. It has nothing to do with the territories. UNCLOS gives a country the right for resources in the sea and in the subsoil under the sea (continental shelf). However, it does not give a country any rights to the land features above the sea levels. If rocks, reefs are above high tides, they will not be governed by UNCLOS. If you can claim lands based on UNCLOS, then ROC (Taiwan) can claim all the small islands between Taiwan and Philippines and claim the southern parts of the islands of Ryukyu Islands.
Steve Jiau: I think the UNCLOS does have something to do with marine territories. It gives 12 nm of the ocean to each maritime country as its territorial waters, and 200 nm as its EEZ (exclusive economic zone), and it designates the rest of the oceans as international territory or the high seas. The EEZ is the legal base for the Philippines to claim the Spratly islands and the Scarborough Shoal as its territory.
Steve Jiau: I think the UNCLOS does have something to do with marine territories. It gives 12 nm of the ocean to each maritime country as its territorial waters, and 200 nm as its EEZ (exclusive economic zone), and it designates the rest of the oceans as international territory or the high seas. The EEZ is the legal base for the Philippines to claim the Spratly islands and the Scarborough Shoal as its territory.
Robert Li, I believe you had two mistakes. One is the name of the court, which is called the Arbitral Tribunal, not the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Another is the plentiff which is the Philippines, not Japan.
The PCA was hired by the Arbitral Tribunal to look after paperwork, which led to being quoted as the court that had rendered the Award. If you would look into an official Chinese document here:
http://ca.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/cpot/t1381765.htm,
you will find both names the Arbitral Tribunal and the Philippines were used in the first few lines in the Chinese document.
Robert Li, I believe you had two mistakes. One is the name of the court, which is called the Arbitral Tribunal, not the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Another is the plentiff which is the Philippines, not Japan.
The PCA was hired by the Arbitral Tribunal to look after paperwork, which led to being quoted as the court that had rendered the Award. If you would look into an official Chinese document here:
http://ca.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/cpot/t1381765.htm,
you will find both names the Arbitral Tribunal and the Philippines were used in the first few lines in the Chinese document.
If that is true then why USA keep on pushing in the china’s backyard? the south china sea and china has nothing to do to stop USA. You had SAID THAT A COUNTRY MUST THINK TWICE TO HAVE A WAR AGAINTS CHINA BECAUSE CHINA POSESSES SOPHISTICATED WEAPONRY, NOW, THIS IS THE QUESTION,DO THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO COUNTER AMERICAN WEAPONRY?AMERICAN WEAPONRY KNOWN FOR HAVING THE MOST ADVANCE WEAPON ON EARTH FAR BEHIND FROM HUMAN CALCULATION. CHINESE WESPONS ARE PUBLICLY REVEAL AND AMERICA HAS ALREADY COUNTER MEASURED.AMERICA HAS THOUSANDS SCIENTIST RECRUITED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD PRIMARILY FOR WEAPONS. IN TRADE, NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD CAN IMPOSE SANCTION TO ANY COUNTRY AS EASY AS AMERICA. NOW , EVEN CHINA AND RUSSIA WILL UNITE THE NUMBER OF THIER COMBAT AIRFORCE, IT HAS A SUM OF MORE OR LESS 7,OOO PLANES COMPARE TO AMERICA WHICH HAS ALMOST 15,OOO. ASIDE FROM NATO WHICH US HAD CREATED, THERE ARE US ALLIES ENTIRE THE SEVEN CONTINENT AND THOSE COUNTRIES ARE MILITARY POWERFUL AS CHINA FRANCE,THE UK ITALY, GERMANY AND OTHERS. HOW CHINA WILL WIN MR YOUNG?
If that is true then why USA keep on pushing in the china’s backyard? the south china sea and china has nothing to do to stop USA. You had SAID THAT A COUNTRY MUST THINK TWICE TO HAVE A WAR AGAINTS CHINA BECAUSE CHINA POSESSES SOPHISTICATED WEAPONRY, NOW, THIS IS THE QUESTION,DO THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO COUNTER AMERICAN WEAPONRY?AMERICAN WEAPONRY KNOWN FOR HAVING THE MOST ADVANCE WEAPON ON EARTH FAR BEHIND FROM HUMAN CALCULATION. CHINESE WESPONS ARE PUBLICLY REVEAL AND AMERICA HAS ALREADY COUNTER MEASURED.AMERICA HAS THOUSANDS SCIENTIST RECRUITED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD PRIMARILY FOR WEAPONS. IN TRADE, NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD CAN IMPOSE SANCTION TO ANY COUNTRY AS EASY AS AMERICA. NOW , EVEN CHINA AND RUSSIA WILL UNITE THE NUMBER OF THIER COMBAT AIRFORCE, IT HAS A SUM OF MORE OR LESS 7,OOO PLANES COMPARE TO AMERICA WHICH HAS ALMOST 15,OOO. ASIDE FROM NATO WHICH US HAD CREATED, THERE ARE US ALLIES ENTIRE THE SEVEN CONTINENT AND THOSE COUNTRIES ARE MILITARY POWERFUL AS CHINA FRANCE,THE UK ITALY, GERMANY AND OTHERS. HOW CHINA WILL WIN MR YOUNG?
Jericho Remitio Why agianst? China can cooperate, it hasn’t done anything bad to the Philippines yet.
Jericho Remitio Why agianst? China can cooperate, it hasn’t done anything bad to the Philippines yet.