PHL studying Vietnam’s part in arbitration case vs. China

The Philippines on Friday is looking into Vietnam’s participation in the arbitration case that seeks to declare illegal Beijing's extensive claim over the resource-rich South China Sea.

 

In a move that could bolster Manila’s case, Vietnam has submitted its own position to the arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands where the Philippine government is challenging China’s claim to almost the entire body of water.

 

“We are studying Vietnam’s submission and its possible implications,” Foreign Affairs Charles Jose said in a text message.

 

China, which has repeatedly said that it would not join the legal proceedings, has denounced Vietnam’s action.

In a post on Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesman Le Hai Binh said Vietnam has requested the tribunal to pay due attention to the country's interests as it handled the arbitration between the Philippines and China.

 

Both the Philippines and Vietnam, two South China Sea claimants that had the most number of confrontations with Chinese forces in the South China Sea, have accused China of intruding in their sovereign waters and harassing their fishermen and disrupting oil exploration in their respective territories.

Other claimants to the sea—a major trading route where rich mineral and oil and gas reserves have been discovered in several areas—are Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

 

The Philippines said China’s persistent incursions in its territories despite several attempts to resolve their claims peacefully through negotiations prompted it to seek legal action through arbitration in 2013. —NB, GMA News