The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, June 22, categorically rejected fresh statements by the Chinese Embassy in Manila disputing the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, declaring that the landmark ruling “is not and will never be illegal, null and void.”
The DFA’s reply came after the embassy published a series of social media posts belittling the award and reasserting China’s claim over Scarborough Shoal, a feature about 120 nautical miles off Zambales province that the Philippines calls Bajo de Masinloc. According to Rappler, the posts surfaced roughly two weeks before the award’s 10th anniversary on July 10.
In its statement, the DFA said the award was issued by a tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a treaty both countries have ratified, and described it as “an unassailable part of the corpus of international law.” The department noted that the tribunal had rejected China’s arguments that the dispute concerned territorial sovereignty and maritime boundary delimitation, matters Beijing said fell outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction. It added that the Philippines had met its obligation under Article 283 of the convention to exchange views before initiating arbitration, and was not barred from pursuing UNCLOS dispute-settlement mechanisms after years of dialogue failed to yield progress.
“As we commemorate the Award’s 10th anniversary this July, we highlight its resounding affirmation of UNCLOS and of the Convention’s dispute-settlement mechanisms,” the DFA said, adding that respect for such rulings is essential to preserving the credibility of the convention and the rules-based order.
The 2016 ruling invalidated China’s expansive claim to the South China Sea, defined by its nine-dash line, and affirmed the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Beijing, while a signatory to UNCLOS, has refused to recognize the decision. Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro has previously stressed that the awards “are both final and binding.”
The exchange follows months of escalating friction. The embassy’s posts, attributed to deputy spokesperson Guo Wei, were initially a response to Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela. Per Rappler, Guo questioned what the Philippines had gained in the decade since the ruling and asked why officials “continue to provoke China” despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s stated desire to reset bilateral ties.
Tensions had already sharpened in June over a Chinese floating platform installed inside Scarborough Shoal. The Manila Bulletin reported that the Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest after the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea confirmed the roughly six-by-six-meter structure on June 9; the platform was later removed, with the embassy describing it as a “temporary scientific research facility.”
