Philippines willing to discuss PCA ruling with China

Hanoi (VNA) –Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on July 13, announced that the country is leaving open the possibility to discuss with China on implementing the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea.

In a radio interview on July 13, Yasay stressed the need to prioritise diplomatic measures to ensure the peaceful implementation of the decision of the court.

Both countries committed to not taking provocative actions before the ruling was issued, Yasay added.

The Foreign Secretary, who is also a lawyer, said according to the ruling, the Scarborough Shoal has been declared as a common fishing ground for fishermen from the Philippines, Vietnam and China.

It is crucial to reach an immediate agreement among the concerned parties to the ruling , he affirmed.

The court in The Hague on July 12 issued the ruling on the case brought by the Philippines against China’s nine-dash line claim in the East Sea.

It affirmed that China’s claims to historic rights over waters within the nine-dash line are contrary to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

China has caused permanent and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem at the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, and that it also has no historic title over waters of the South China Sea, the tribunal said.

The Hague Tribunal also finds no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the nine-dash line.

The PCA also underlined that China has interfered with the traditional fishing rights of the Philippines in Scarborough Shoal, highlighting that China’s actions have worsen disputes between the country and the Philippines when efforts have been made to resolve the disputes.-VNA