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EU backs PHL’s arbitration push to settle China sea row


The Philippines has found an ally in the European Union in its effort to settle its territorial dispute with China through international arbitration.

President Jose Manuel Barroso of the European Commission, EU's executive body, renewed calls to settle conflicting claims over resource-rich portions of the South China Sea through the rule of law.

"Let me stress that the European Union encourages all parties to seek peaceful solutions through dialogue and cooperation in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Barroso said at a press conference with President Benigno Aquino III in Brussels on Monday.

The European official issued this statement after meeting with Aquino on various issues, including the South China Sea territorial dispute.



The Philippines hinges its claims on parts of the South China Sea, which it calls the West Philippine Sea, on the UNCLOS. Around 166 parties were signatories of the convention, including China and the EU.

Barroso likewise emphasized that the EU is a party to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which was entered into by China, Southeast Asian nations and several other countries.

"We recall its [the treaty's] fundamental principles, namely to settle differences by peaceful means, to renounce the threat or use of force and to effectively cooperate among partners," the European Commission official said.

He further assured the Philippines that Europe was a "trusted partner and friend."

PHL’s commitment

In response, Aquino said the Philippines "remains committed to advancing a peaceful, rules-based resolution to the disputes in the South China Sea."

"Like the European Union, we believe that the only viable and effective solution is one that is based on international law—and in particular, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS," the President said in the joint media briefing with Barroso.

Aquino said in an earlier interview that China "will have to listen" to the EU, which is Beijing's biggest trading partner.

The Spanish government had also thrown its support behind the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China.

The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the UNCLOS. China, meanwhile, is asserting an alleged historical claim over the area through the so-called "nine-dash line."

The Philippines has already brought its territorial dispute with China before the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Beijing, however, has rejected the arbitration proceedings, repeatedly insisting on bilateral talks to settle to issue. — DVM, GMA News
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