Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — The Philippines needs to campaign hard for support from member states before bringing China’s refusal to recognize the 2016 arbitral award to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Wednesday.
“The UN General Assembly is a seat of world opinion and if that UN resolution is adopted that is the expression and opinion of peoples of the world. We want to show to everybody especially to the Chinese people that the world opinion supports us,” Carpio told reporters on the sidelines of a forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute on July 12.
For Carpio, the show of support for the landmark ruling from many countries – including the United States, Canada, the European Union (EU) and Group of Seven (G7) nations – means Manila is not alone in asserting its rights in the West Philippine Sea.
“We are supported by the EU, by the G7, these are the donor countries and they donate a lot to small countries and if they help us they will tell these countries, ‘can you help our friends in the Philippines?’ That’s how the world is put together,” he said.
“We have to talk to the EU, G7, to the other coastal states and count the votes before we file the resolution, we should be assured that we have the votes,” he added.
Carpio also said a resolution upheld by the majority of countries will have an effect on Beijing’s image even if the UNGA has no enforcement powers.
“A great country like China wants to be a model to the world but if the world condemns you it rubs on your self-esteem. China also needs to export and to export you have to be respected by the rest of the world,” he said.
China on 2016 Arbitral Award: Illegal, null, void
The Chinese Embassy in Manila maintained its position that the South China Sea arbitration ‘gravely violated’ the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and general international law.
“The award is illegal, null and void. China does not accept or recognize it, and will never accept any claim or action based on the award. China’s sovereignty and relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history, and are solidly grounded in history and the law. This shall under no circumstances be affected by any illegal award,” the embassy said in a statement.
Beijing also accused the US of being the mastermind of the arbitration case.
“As the mastermind behind the South China Sea arbitration, the US ropes in allies to play up the issue each year on the anniversary of the illegal award to gang up against China and to exert pressure, and force China into accepting the award. We are firmly against this,” it added.
The US Embassy refused to issue another comment on the statement of the Chinese Embassy.
