The Department of Foreign Affairs is confident that the Permanent Court of Arbitration will rule in favor of the Philippines in the territorial dispute case over parts of the South China Sea.
But China maintains that the case filed by the Philippines is illegal. It believes that bilateral talks is the solution.
In a related development, some militant groups picketed the offices of the Chinese consulate in Makati on the eve of the issuance of a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“Ano man po ang ruling bukas dapat nagkaisa tayo para lubusang paaalisin ang Tsina sa territorial waters ng Pilipinas. Nanawagan rin po tayo sa ating mga kapatid sa Southeast Asia na yung ating panawagang CHexit ay sabay-sabay nating ipanawagan hanggang i-respeto ng Tsina.”
Meanwhile, the DFA insists that China’s nine-dash line claim over the waters have no historical basis.
The Philippines is also questioning China’s ongoing reclamation that destroys the coral reefs and the sea, as well as its prohibition against Filipino fishermen from fishing there.
“Naninindigan ang DFA na pwedeng maghain ng kaso hinggil sa maritime dispute kahit pa hindi makiisa sa pagdinig ang inireklamo gaya ng ginawa ng China,” said DFA spokesperson Charles Jose.
In China, the upcoming decision is also news.
The China Central Television even created a commercial segment about the topic.
China insists that the Philippines’ international legal action is illegal.
In an exclusive interview, Chinese scholars in Beijing said China won’t recognize the decision. They said bilateral talks are the solution.
"The tribunal court issue is a problem between us but I don't think that this is a reasonable way to resolve the problem at the moment. The South China Sea has been there for many, many years in the past but South China Sea issue did not stop our cooperation in the past,” said Prof. Su Hao, of the China Foreign Affairs University.
They blame the Aquino administration for raising the tension in the region.
Does China think philippines is the troublemaker in the region?
"It's not the philippines, but the Philippines' previous government. The leader really is the troublemaker, as I said he almost blocked any kind of way for us to solved it,” said Prof. Zhang Yunling, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
For the geopolitical analyst Prof. Richard Heydarian, a favorable decision is an ace for the Philippines.
Despite the absence of police powers to force China to leave the West Philippine Sea, he said the tribunal and its decision would be a major blow to the international morale of the Chinese.
If its courtship of the Duterte administration is a gauge, China seems to be resorting to damage control, Heydarian added.
“Kung ganyan baka gumaya ang Vietnam, gumaya ang Malaysia, pati ang Japan, sampahan na rin ng kaso ang China which China doesn't want to happen,” said Prof. Richard Heydarian, geopolitical analyst of the De La University.
Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in China reminded Filipinos in the country to be careful in light of the upcoming decision. It discouraged them from talking about the political issue in public, especially discussing or debating about it on social media.
Click and watch the report of Carla Lim which was aired 11 July 2016:
[Video report]
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