Duterte raised the South China Sea case at the United Nations 2
Speaking via online video at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 75) today, Philippine President Duterte mentioned the 2016 Arbitration Court ruling, rejecting the illegal `cow tongue line` claim.
`The judgment is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of governments that want to relax or not recognize it,` Duterte said in a pre-recorded speech in Manila.
Philippine President Duterte spoke at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 23.
Mr. Duterte also thanked the countries that supported the Philippines’ victory in the Philippines’ lawsuit against China’s `cow tongue line` claim in 2016, calling it `a victory of reason over haste and law.`
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), The Hague, Netherlands, on July 12, 2016 declared that China has no legal basis to claim historical rights to resources within the `cow tongue line`.
According to the Arbitration Court, China has caused irreparable damage to the coral system in the Spratly Islands.
The ruling also said that China had obstructed the rights of Philippine fishermen at Scarborough Shoal by preventing them from accessing the area.
Beijing has continuously rejected the PCA’s ruling.
China has also recently carried out a series of aggressive activities in the East Sea in the context of countries focusing on dealing with Covid-19.
Speaking at a regular press conference on the afternoon of September 17 in Hanoi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam affirmed that `Vietnam is consistent in its stance of considering Hoang Sa and Truong Sa as inseparable parts of Vietnamese territory.`
Mai Lam (According to Inquirer)
