PHL welcomes US Senate resolution for Peaceful Resolution on WPS disputes

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 14): PHL welcomes US Senate resolution for Peaceful Resolution on WPS disputes

The Philippines Friday welcomed a U.S. Senate resolution calling for peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea as tensions spiked anew in the resource-rich waters due to increased Chinese military presence in areas claimed by Manila as part of its territory.

US Sen. Menendrez (D, New Jersey) , and his co-sponsors Senators Benjamin Cardin (D, Maryland), Marco Rubio (R, Florida), and Bob Corker (R, Tennessee) on Monday filed Senate Resolution 167 condemning China’s alleged use of force and provocative acts in the South China Sea or also known in the Philippines as West Philippine Sea.

“We understand that the resolution has yet to undergo the necessary congressional process before it is passed by the US Senate, nonetheless, we extend our appreciation on the mere fact that some US Senators have considered it necessary to express their views on a fundamental issue that affects the peace and stability of the Asia Pacific Region,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing.

The resolution, Hernandez said, reaffirms the “strong support” of the US, a long-time military treaty ally, to resolve the years-long territorial rifts through peaceful and rules-based approach, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

Resolution 167, forwarded to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, blamed China for several “dangerous” incidents in the waters involving countries it has territorial disputes with like the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan.

China claims the sea nearly in its entirety, citing historical records to back its assertion.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also claimants to the waters where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas.

“The Philippines especially appreciates the reaffirmation of the peaceful resolution of disputes, including through arbitration; its condemnation of the use of threat or use of force,” Hernandez said.

In a surprise move that stunned China and the international community, Manila initiated an arbitration process under the UNCLOS on January 21 to try to declare as “illegal” Beijing’s nine-dash claim, which covers almost the entire sea even as it overlaps with other countries’ territories.

China has resisted the Philippines’ move to let a U.N. body intervene in the disputes, saying the Philippines’ case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations.

UNCLOS is a 1982 accord by 163 countries that aims to govern the use of offshore areas and sets territorial limits of coastal states.

The Philippines and China are both signatories to the treaty.

Hernandez thanked the senators for their support for the ongoing and deepening efforts of the US in the region in “ensuring freedom of navigation, maintenance of peace and stability, and respect of universally recognized principles of international law.”

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