PHL rejects China’s call for it to drop arbitration case

From GMA News (Jul 23): PHL rejects China’s call for it to drop arbitration case

The Philippines on Thursday rejected a Chinese ambassador’s call for Manila to drop its arbitration case against Beijing aimed at settling the territorial row between the two countries over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea.

At a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Philippines is determine to reach a final ruling on its case against China, filed before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Netherlands.

"Malinaw ang aming layunin na magkaroon ng ruling iyong Permanent Court of Arbitration para mabigyan ng sustansya ang nilalaman ng United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) kung saan signatory ang Pilipinas,” Coloma told reporters in Malacañang.

"Nasa atin din naman ang determinasyon na itaguyod yung pagiging makatwiran ng ating posisyon,” he added.

The Philippines is using the UNCLOS, a treaty signed by over 160 countries, defining nations’ rights to use the world’s oceans, as basis of its arbitration case against China.

China, which uses the so-called “nine-dash line” to assert its claim over the almost the entire South China Sea, has refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings.

'Pursue case to its logical conclusion'

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose also stood firm on pursuing arbitration proceedings to solve the territorial row between the Philippines and China.

"The Philippines is determined to pursue the arbitration case to its logical conclusion,” Jose said in a separate text message.

On Wednesday, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said he hopes the Philippines will withdraw its arbitration case against China.

The Chinese envoy also once again called on Manila to engage Beijing in bilateral negotiations to address the territorial row.

Coloma however said that the Philippines’ “rules-based” and multilateral approach to settling the dispute remains unchanged.

This month, the Philippines presented its arguments before the arbitral tribunal in The Hague on why it should exercise its jurisdiction over the arbitration case against China.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/527098/news/nation/phl-rejects-china-s-call-for-it-to-drop-arbitration-case